EXTRAordinary Pets

by Barroux

A dog, a cat, a bird, a fish
great pets to have. But if you had your wish
why not choose one out of the ordinary?
Why not a pet who's EXTRAordinary?

Acclaimed artist Barroux makes his Blue Apple Books debut with a book about an amazing array of animals. Cats are cuddly, but elephants? Exceptional! A Chihuahua is cute, but tarantulas? Terrific! Flaps cleverly transform everyday animals into exotic, one-of-a-kind, perfect pets.

Genres: Picture Books, Storytime, Animals, Childrens

72 pages, Hardcover

First published March 3, 2010

About the author

Barroux is a Paris-based illustrator whose work has appeared in the New York Times, the Washington Post, and elsewhere.

Reviews

[Kristin · Rating 2 out of 5]

To be fair, I would have given this 2.5 stars if possible. This is a decent toddler read aloud. I like the bold text and the flaps. The illustrations are interesting--I like the contrast between the muted tones and the bright orange floor. However, the text could be WAY better. Seriously, cute concept, but what dog needs a raincoat? And I'm sorry but "A mouse is a buddy" does not even make sense. Too bad someone else didn't write the text...

[Kristy · Rating 2 out of 5]

You can tell that this book was probably delightful in French - sadly it doesn't convey all that it should in the English translation. I love the illustrations - they'd be perfect for a child's bedroom.

[Colorado Buck · Rating 3 out of 5]

Storytime collection. Is older. But has cute animals in it. And flaps.

[Caroline · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very cute fold out book full of your not so average pets!

[Amy Seto · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everyone knows that cats and dogs, birds and fish are great pets, but what if you could have a “one-of-a-kind, unique as can be, fantastic superb, EXTRAORDINARY” pet? The kids in this book imagine the benefits of having a trumpeting elephant instead of a quiet cat, a snake that slithers instead of a dog that merely walks, or a chomping alligator instead of a chirping bird. Traditional pets may be cute and cuddly, but in this book extraordinary pets triumph.

The rhythmic, but not rhyming, text is minimal, yet playful. Each two page spread features a child holding the leash to an ordinary animal, but when you open the flap an extraordinary animal is revealed. The clever illustrations have a homemade, scrapbook feel to them; you can see the paint brush strokes and pencil scribbles. At the same time, there’s a polished, graphic design atmosphere to the drawings as well. It’s clear that Barroux has put a lot of thought into each illustration, most noticeable in the costumes the children wear. Each costume is a clue to the extraordinary pet under the flap.

Full Review at Picture-Book-a-Day: http://picturebookaday.blogspot.com/2...

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh, I didn't think it was that clever.

[Joenna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lift-up flaps transform common pets into unique alternatives, including a cat that becomes an elephant, a puppy that becomes a penguin, and a poodle that becomes a bear.

[Christiana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good for pets storytime!

[Lindsay]

pets, wild animals, zoos

[Jamie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book would be perfect to talk about conjunctions. Then you can rewrite some of the sentences using a different conjunction and changing the ending of the sentence.

[Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

What characteristics do you really want in a pet? There are lots of options.

The illustrations give clues to the creatures behind the flap, but they are not very obvious.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love the illustrations, cute story, simple text.

[Shelly · Rating 2 out of 5]

The lift the flaps was fun. Would be great for getting kids to guess what the extraordinary pet is by using picture clues before lifting the flap.

[Joan Arbogast · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderfully creative use of flaps to make unusual pets.

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love Barroux's illustrations, but I found this to be rather long for a readaloud, and rather repetitive in a not-very-logical way.

[Carrie Gelson · Rating 3 out of 5]

LOVE the illustrations.