My Pet Wants a Pet

by Elise Broach, Eric Barclay (Illustrator)

Once there was a boy who wanted something to take care of. Something of his very own. He begged his mother for a puppy. Until she said YES!
The boy loved his puppy. He fed him and played with him and cuddled him. But soon, the dog wanted something to take care of--something of his very own. So the dog gets a pet cat; then the cat gets a pet bird; the bird gets a pet worm; the worm gets a pet flea . . . and on and on it goes as utter chaos ensues.

Genres: Picture Books, Animals, Storytime, Family, Childrens, Humor, Dogs

32 pages, Hardcover

First published March 6, 2018

About the author

Elise Broach is the New York Times bestselling author of children's books including Masterpiece, Shakespeare's Secret, Desert Crossing, Missing on Superstition Mountain (the first book in the Superstition Mountain Trilogy) as well as several picture books. Her books have been selected as ALA notable books, Junior Library Guild selections, a Publishers Weekly Best Children's Book, a New York Public Library Best Book for the Teenage, an IRA Teacher's Choice, an E.B. White Read Aloud Award, and nominated for an Edgar Award, among other distinctions. Ms. Broach holds undergraduate and graduate degrees in history from Yale University. She was born in Georgia and lives in the woods of rural Connecticut, walking distance from three farms, a library, a post office and two country stores.

http://us.macmillan.com/author/eliseb...

Reviews

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

A young boy pleads with his mother for a puppy, longing to have someone to take care of. Eventually she relents, and boy and dog are happy together. Until the puppy too decides he wants someone to care for, and he adopts a kitten. Soon enough the kitten too wants a pet, and the process continues, until the house is full of animals and the boy's mother is beside herself. How can he show her the pleasure of caring for another...?

Very easily, as it happens, since he himself is the being in her care. A sweet and heartwarming tale about longing for and then loving an animal companion, My Pet Wants a Pet is also a madcap adventure with a fun, read-aloud quality - "What?!" cried the boy's mother. "That worm is the pet of the pet of the pet of your pet! He does NOT NEED A PET" - that would make it an excellent story-time selection. The artwork by Eric Barclay is well-suited to the humorous nature of author Elise Broach's tale, capturing the zany hi-jinks quite well. Recommended to all young children who long for a pet, and to anyone looking for new picture-books to entertain their youngsters.

[Nancy Kotkin · Rating 5 out of 5]

A cumulative story that also has a circular structure. The message of this picture book, that everyone needs a pet, is sure to capture the hearts of animal lovers. The humor of the exaggerated plot and mismatched animal pairs will have children giggling over this new favorite story. The multicultural family is a plus. The illustrations are positively adorable and extend the text in all the right ways.

[Alicia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Who doesn't love a picture book with a strong message? And one that you don't necessarily see coming in a book that's about pets wanting their own pets-- the dog gets a cat, the cat gets a bird until there's a flea. But wait, what happens when the flea wants one and then when the boy realizes what's really important about why his pets want pets.

And I'm not-so-secretly enamored with our main character thinking on the toilet!

[Margaret Boling · Rating 4 out of 5]

7/2/2019 ~ Silly, repeating pattern book with quite a heart. I kept wondering how the pattern would break, and loved how the circle was completed when the flea chose the dog as a pet. Illustrations to notice: the dog with the "wheel chair" and the boy thinking - on the toilet. :) Multiracial family with just a mom; a nice bit of inclusiveness.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sweet book about a boy who gets a dog, who then wants a pet of his own so he gets a cat, who gets a bird, and so on... the repetition of the trope will be fun for young readers, and the watercolor and ink illustrations by Eric Barclay are cute and playful. I wondered if the little worm scooting across the rug in the toy sports car might be an homage to Richard Scarry's Lowly Worm - picture books who shout out to their forebears in that subtle way are always delightful. Recommended for children who have or want to have something to love of their very own.

[Earl · Rating 4 out of 5]

This picture book tells the story of a boy who wanted a pet- and got it. Then, his pet wanted a pet- and got it. See what happens when the pet's pet wants their own pet to take care of! I love the message of the rewards of taking good care of something or someone.

[Susie · Rating 4 out of 5]

My enjoyment of this book was enhanced by the fact that I got to see and hear the author read it herself! I am sure there are aspects I would have missed had I just read it myself. She has had the experience of reading it aloud to many students, and shared with us how much she enjoys reading aloud. We also got "inside" information on changes and choices that were involved in the process.

[Lisa D · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lov d it

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was surprised by how much I liked this--it's silly and sweet and quite improbable--the illustrations really helped out and the deeper message tucked inside the silliness won me over.

[Brittany · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read all the way to the end. I feel like that is totally how a parent feels about pets. We just inherit everything!

[Becca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Delightful cumulative story that the grandchildren very much liked.

[Jaime · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this book was great. I could read this over and over again. It would be a great gift for a 5-7-year-old. Cute and has some repetition which is fun.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet story about responsibility and reward. I love that mom and son are different colors. I love that the boy and the pet just "understood" that the pet needed a pet. I love that the worm wears a beret. I love that each pet chooses an animal as a pet they should be at odds with. The illustrations are darling. What holds me back from a 5-star rating is the notion at the end that all mom needs is something to take care of -- well, doesn't she already have that? The son never stopped being her son who needs care. I don't think mom feels left out of the cycle; I think she is weary of the havoc the circus of animals causes. I love the moral of the story -- that taking care of something is a symbiotic relationship; taking care of something takes care of you, too. But the logic of mom needing something of her own to take care of doesn't make sense.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book! The little boy wants something to take care of, something that is his own. After much asking, his mother says yes, and he brings home a dog. Everything is wonderful, so wonderful that the puppy wants to share it with something that he can take care of, the puppy wants a pet! The boy understands, but the mom doesn't. Yet when the puppy shows up with a kitten, they are allowed to stay. So it continues, with each new pet wanting a pet to care for of their own. In the end, everyone noticed how they are all happy-except for mom. The boy decides he will be his mom's pet "because whenever you take care of something, that something takes care of you." How sweet is that??

Children will love the illustrations, how each pet wants a pet of their own, the choice of critter that is adopted and the fun they have.

[Ann Haefele · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this author and she did not disappoint with this story about a little boy who desperately wants a pet of his own, much to his mother’s dismay. I read this to my grandchildren through FaceTime, and the story held their attention and the illustrations showed beautifully through the iPad. This would make a great Mother’s Day story!

[Dannie Moore · Rating 4 out of 5]

Broach's book feels incredibly classic in the most heartwarmingly beautiful way. An adorable story of wanting to care for others gone silly. Do NOT bring this book home to read to your pet - they might get ideas.

[Marti · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good for some laughs with a sweet ending. It was a good book to read right after Mother's Day, showing a mother's love for her son and how he returns that love. It also just felt like a fun modern day retelling of 'The Farmer in the Dell' somehow.

[Andréa · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little bit weird, but still a fun read.

[Jason · Rating 3 out of 5]

Silly, unique fun. I'm always willing to give bonus points for a premise I haven't seen done in picture books before.

[Chloe Lockhart · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like this book, because I think children can relate to this book because every child wants more animals! I really like the traditional illustrations in this book as well.

[Liz Todd · Rating 5 out of 5]

So sweet..and funny. Kids loved it and it made me cry a little.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my gosh this book is ridiculous and adorable and I love it so much.

[Lauren Kramer-Theuerkauf · Rating 5 out of 5]

My Pet Wants a Pet by Elise Broach follows the crazy antics of one boy in his quest to get a pet for his pet. The boy is thrilled when his mother finally allows him to adopt a dog. The pair become inseparable.

They have such fun together that the puppy decides he too would like a pet. The boy's mother protests, but the pup soon returns with a furry orange kitten. The unlikely friends quickly form a bond. A bond so strong, that the kitten would like a pet of her own...

Will the perpetual presence of pets become too much to handle?

I adore this book! Broach's story is filled with humor and heart. I love the idea of a pet wanting a pet of its own. I am reminded of my Chiweenie, Penny. When we rescued a two-week-old kitten from the middle of Main Street, she remained glued to its side. Penny raised the kitten as if it were her own pup. The bonds between animals are truly amazing.

While the animals in the book are adorably cute, my favorite character is the mother. As the pets begin to multiple, she starts to lose her cool but is secretly a softy at heart. I can see a lot of my husband in her. He always tells me, "No more pets!" Until I bring home another furry creature that he soon falls in love with.

Eric Barclay's illustrations have a comic strip quality to them that is reminiscent of The Family Circus. His characters are cute and endearing. I especially love the detail that he put into the beret wearing worm and tiny little flea. I also like his hilarious nod to Rodin's sculpture The Thinker.

This is a wonderful read for animal lovers of all ages.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like many youngsters before him, the young boy in this picture book wants nothing more than to have something to live. Eventually, his mother agrees to let him adopt a puppy. He takes good care of his new friend, and life is good as they share many experiences. But then the puppy wants a pet, and ends up adopting a kitten, and the cat wants a pet, and takes in a bird, and on and on it goes as the household becomes filled with happy animals who are content because they have pets. Eventually, though, the boy realizes that his mother is feeling a bit left out so he makes sure she also has someone to love--him. The final lines in the book are great reminders that our pets are more than just something with which to amuse ourselves: "Because whenever you take care of something, that something takes care of you" (unpaged). How true these words are! Young readers will enjoy this title, but they might not want to share it with their parents or caregivers as an argument for getting a new pet. After all, the adults might counter with the argument that one dog leads to another one and yet another one. The attractive illustrations that show happy animals and a somewhat disheveled and annoyed mother relied on ink, watercolor and pencil for their images.

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aww, this was just darling. :) A little boy begs his mother to let him have a pet until she finally relents and gets him a puppy. The boy takes care of the puppy so well that... guess what? The puppy decides it wants a pet of its own! This set off a chain of events that results in a household full of pets... and one very frazzled mom. In a heartwarming ending, the boy finds a solution that makes mom happy too.

This is a very sweet book that reminds us of the joy that comes from taking care of others. Eric Barclay's watercolor and ink illustrations are simplistic yet cute and colorful. I enjoy how he encourages readers to guess what's going to happen next by hiding the next pet in the sequence somewhere on the page. The boy and his mom are depicted as a multi-racial family, which is awesome to see. I also smiled when I saw the doggy in the wheelchair on one of the earlier pages. :) The text is a little too lengthy to use at storytime, but I can definitely see myself bringing this uplifting, giggle-inducing book to elementary school outreach.

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the illustrations a lot and the texture of the pages. It has a really nice color palette and just love everything about this book. I read this book for Story Time and a lot of the kids were engaged in it. I even had some parents who were super into it giggling at a few parts of the book.

The book is basically about a boy who wants a pet (a dog) and finally convinces his mom to allow him to have a pet. Then his dog wants a pet and then that pet wants a pet and so on and so on. It's a cute book and even though there is some repetition throughout the story, it doesn't get annoying. The ending is really sweet. The illustrations show more than the story says at the ending but the text and the pictures go so well together it bring the story to a full circle. Great book!

[Rena Sherwood · Rating 2 out of 5]

I remember when my dog wanted another dog for company when I got a full-time job. The joke around the family was that the dog wanted her own pet. So, I could sympathize with the puppy who wanted his own pet. And puppies and kittens certainly get along.

Then, the book took an absurd If You Give a Mouse a Cookie turn, and things just got weird. And not in a nice way.

It is unacceptable to have fleas in the home when you not only have pets, but a little kid. Having the kid, puppy, kitten and cardinal go on a short adventure would've made for a much better book than the plot cop-out at the end.

The illustrations were much, much better than the story.

[Alida · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oh Ms. Broach, if you just had stopped at the worm, I would have given this book a 4 star rating. What a pity. The story would have been as charming and witty without the flea. I'm giving it 3 because the illustrations are just adorable.

The criticism might seem petty or stupid, but NEVER, ever, underestimate the power of the words and images on a child. What a person learns as a youngster stays with them for a long time. It can create or reinforce a belief that will need to be reexamined and/or fought later on in life. Why not just start right the first time around?

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very fun read aloud about a boy who wants "something to take care of. Something of his very own."

The verisimilitude is spot on. The desire for a pet is nearly universal--especially in the United States.

The illustrations are colorful and attractive. Barclay includes people of different genders, ages, skin tones and hair textures. There are lots of details included to hold the attention of lap readers.

Audience: PK-3
Curriculum Connections: pets, repetitive text, prediction (especially using picture clues), empathy

[Darla · Rating 5 out of 5]

This whimsical tale reminds me of 'The Farmer in the Dell.' Instead of a farmer, we have a boy who wants a pet. The boy takes a dog, then the dog wants a pet of his own. The dog takes a cat. The cat takes a red bird. The red bird takes a worm. . .and so on it goes. By the time the first pet has resulted in five pets running around the house, mom gets a bit exasperated. Her son will find a way to make it right.

Because whenever you take care of something, that something takes care of you.