Wanted: the Perfect Pet

by Fiona Roberton

Henry wants a dog more than anything in the world?more than a cowboy costume, even more than an all-expenses-paid trip to the moon. So he puts an ad in the newspaper to find the perfect pet. Far away, a lonely duck who desperately wants a friend reads the ad. He has the clever idea to disguise himself as a dog and apply for the job of Henry?s best friend. But his cover is quickly blown when he isn?t very good at catching balls and his floppy ears and tail fall off. Henry is disappointed for a moment, until he thinks of all the amazing things this duck CAN do, and realizes he?s found the perfect pet after all. Fiona Roberton?s irresistible illustrations and utterly charming characters will win the hearts of readers of all ages.

Genres: Picture Books, Animals, Childrens, Humor, Dogs, Fiction, Friendship

40 pages, Hardcover

First published October 13, 2009

About the author

Fiona Roberton was born in Oxford, studied art and design in London and New York, and has worked and lived and travelled all over the world. Travelling is one of her favourite things.

She has kept the wolf from the door for a number of years by designing stuff, but has since befriended the wolf, and now has him to tea on Tuesdays. Sometimes, they go out.

Reviews

[Mallory · Rating 3 out of 5]

**REPOST** This was a wonderfully sweet book until I noticed something that was just not right. This book is insensitive to indigenous and First Nations people. The boy writes a list of why a Duck is a good pet and on that list it includes the line "spare feathers can be used to build indian headdresses..."
It is a small line that is easy to skip over that is offensive. Why did this have to be included on the list? It's culturally insensitive and reinforces a bad outdated offensive stereotype for people who are not part of the first nation community or culture. That should never have been included in the book and it is not even relevant to the story in any way. Because it's so casually mentioned, it's easy to over look. And that is the crux of the problem that perpetuates offensive stereotypes.

I do not believe harm was intended when this book was written and published, but it has an unfortunate impact. Why did no publisher or editor question this? Overall, this book is good and enjoyable, but this lapse in judgement made me not select it for my collection or ever choose to do it for a storytime. I do hope that the publishers are aware of that issue and would remove that line from future editions or re-printings.

**This is an updated REPOST of the original review written in 2016.**

[Julia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely love the rounded lines and the creative typography and layout. This is a fun feel-good book about pets/friendship.

[Ivy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very cute. I'd love a pet duck!

[Elfdart · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an adorable book. The story opens with a little boy who talks about how very badly he wants a pet, and of all the pets, a dog is the best pet of all. It is fun, cuddly and it plays with you. So the boy outs an ad in the paper for a dog to be his pet. Far away a duck who lives on a hill-top is very lonely. He reads the ad in the news paper and decides he will try to be the perfect pet for this boy. He disguises himself as a dog and goes to meet his new owner. When he gets there the boy is overjoyed to finally have a dog all his own and takes it out to play immediately. He notices however that his dog isn’t really good at doing regular doggy things such as play fetch or run around and soon the duck is revealed for who he truly is. The boy is somewhat dismayed to learn that his dog was in fact a duck and goes inside. The duck is of course heart-broken and dejectedly goes in to find the boy reading a book, the encyclopedia. The boy looked up what ducks can do and made a list of all of the good things about ducks and tells the duck that he is the perfect pet for him. And they’re both happy.

This story is adorable. The illustrations are so cute and they compliment the story line so well. The story is about seeing the good in what you have and what comes your way, even if it’s not exactly as you expected it, and it’s told in a way that makes it a touching read for both young and old.

[Samara Gray · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a lovely book that can be used from KS1 up to year 4. It is about a little boy who wants a dog more than anything as he thinks this is the perfect pet. However, this is not quite what he receives....How will he react to this?

It shows a good example of descriptive writing and has great images to match! The book is broken into 2 chapters. Chapter one can be used for descriptive writing. The children can design a poster advertising for the 'perfect dog.' Thinking about what words they would use to describe the dog.

Chapter 2 can be used to discuss with children that we don't always get what we want in life but sometimes that is ok.

I would recommend this book.

[Catherine Austen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Adorable duck. Great story, wonderful illustrations with spots of colour among the black and white drawings. Lots of action and emotion, and two main characters kids can relate to. Just lovely.

I agree with another reviewer that the "Indian headdress" mention was dated, offensive, and unnecessary--the feathers are much better used for tickling sisters--so I docked it a star for that. Different cultural sensitivities in different countries, I guess. It's great that reviewers here can point this out to authors across the ocean while still saying how much they otherwise loved her book.

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Henry wants a dog and Duck wants a friend. Can a friendship survive the disguise?

Why I picked it up: We had the pre-school come to the library this morning and I needed some crowd pleasers... there was a large crowd.

Why I finished it: The kids loved and it was fun to balance this good duck with the bad duck in That Is Not a Good Idea!.

[Jayanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

And yet none of my storytime kids were willing to trade in their dogs for ducks.

[Maria Garcia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Henry has always wanted a dog. Once day he decided to put an ad in the newspaper asking for "auditions" for the perfect pet dog. Meanwhile, a lonely duck on the other end of town picks up the newspaper and sees the ad for the perfect dog. Duck knows that he is not a dog, but he really want a friend to play ping-pong with and to go to the movies with. Duck comes up with the idea of disguising himself as a dog and showing up to Henry's door. Henry soon figures out that duck is an impostor and is no dog. Slightly disappointed Henry comes up with the idea of making a list of things that only ducks can do and more specifically, what his new duck friend as do. After examining the list, Henry decides that he does not want a dog anymore and that a duck will suit his "perfect pet" needs just fine.
This is a cute book that many readers can relate to. Almost every child wants a pet of some type. Like a cat or a dog. Sometimes they don't get a cat or dog that they wanted, but they still have other pet options that they can turn to. This book about friendship is perfect to read to young children. It touches on the importance of friendship as well as identity, seeing that duck wants to be a dog so that Henry will like him. The book is also in chapter book form which helps the reader skip from the life of Henry, to the life of the duck, to when the duck and Henry meet in simple a simple and clear cut manner. This makes it easier for young readers to understand and follow the story better. While there is little to no color in the drawings of the stories they are still fun and cute to look at and give the book a unique artistic element to it.

[Portable · Rating 5 out of 5]

Henry has lots of frogs, but what he really, really wants, is a dog. He places a newspaper advert, but the response is not quite what he expected. In a narrative shift (alowing you to explore the IB concept of Perspective) the story swaps over to the point of view of a lonely duck who really wants company, so he answers the advert and pretends to be a dog. Henry is very excited about his new "dog", though he soon realises that his new pet is not what it pretends to be. Despite his pet duck not being a dog, Henry becomes fast friends with his new pet, and both are happy. Wonderful story, lovely illustrations, and great for discussing the needs of living things, and for the reasons WHY people like to have pets, as well as the ways that they can look after them.

[Nadina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like that this is broken into multiple chapters. It definitely added to the story and the final chapter brought the first two together nicely. The pace was good. I liked the characters and how it ended. The illustrations were cute and I like how it ended. A book I would be quite likely to recommend.

[Bethlyn Allmey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book all about a young boy who dreams of a pet dog, as he believes it is the perfect pet. However, that isn’t quite what he receives. I like that the book is broken into chapters, it definitely adds to the overall story. I imagine children would enjoy this book, it’s definitely a good giggle with a lovely storyline.

[Camilla Argent · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great children's book for teaching about friendship and acceptance of self and others. I read this with a group of 7 year old who adored the illustrations and the relatability of pet ownership and/or pet wanting! An overall feel-good and wholesome read to help children understand their intrinsic worth, appreciation for the things they do have, and the value of being a compassionate friend!

[Mark Smiley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Saw a review of this and since our family likes ducks, I thought to check it out. I read it to one of our grandchildren and we had a great time with it. The accompanying pictures were very good. We cannot wait to see further adventures of Spot!

[Alison · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cute book about a boy who wants, of course, a dog, so he advertises. But instead of a dog, a 'duck' answers his advert in disguise. Of course gets found out, but who know, maybe a duck is the perfect pet after all. Simple drawings. Language more for readers, but fine for beginners with help.

[Monaria Yulius · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Beautiful story about how accepted a friend.

[Courtney Baird · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very sweet book on how sometimes really all anything wants is to feel wanted. I would read this book any time during the year to show how people and animals all need a friend.

[Brittany · Rating 4 out of 5]

One word can be used to describe this book: adorable!

[Mary Hamer · Rating 4 out of 5]

What’s better than dogs AND ducks?

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Why yes, that duck is wearing a dog costume. And yes, it is stinking cute.

[Lara Bate · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book about a boy who advertised for a dog in the local paper. A duck saw the ad and dressed as a dog. In the end the boy found out the dog was a duck and still accepted him as a pet.

[Tasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

More than anything Henry wanted a dog. More than chips, more than a trip to the moon, more than world peace! Henry already has lots of frogs, 27 varieties, but they are boring compared to a dog. He knows just the kind of dog he wants: one with personality, one that does tricks, one that has floppy ears and a warm, furry tongue. So Henry posted an ad in the paper and waited. The ad was read by a lonely duck who decided that being Henry’s dog was the perfect place for him. So he disguised himself as a dog and headed to Henry’s house. Henry was very excited to see him, but got more and more puzzled as his dog failed to live up to his expectations. When the dog was revealed to be a duck, what would Henry do?

Roberton has created a book with an interesting feel and style. She includes clever asides and quirky perspectives. The book has a very charming style of writing that gives the illustrations enough space to help tell much of the story too. The illustrations are filled with white space and offer plenty of small details that readers will enjoy discovering. Watch for the sheep flying past in the background on a windy day.

A special, quirky picture book that takes selecting a pet to an intelligent and wise place. Appropriate for ages 4-7.

[Sweet on Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

Henry wants a dog. Duck wants a friend. Will they find each other? You bet! In this very entertaining story, we meet Henry first. He truly wants man's best friend, a dog! His mother says, "...you already have 27 different varieties of frog, surely they are enough?" But, no, Henry wants a dog. He puts a want ad in the paper and he waits.

Across town there is duck. He lives alone. Nobody ever calls, emails, or writes. He plays alone, reads alone, and does everything all by himself everyday:(. But then Duck sees Henry's ad. Duck thinks, I can be a dog! Duck proceeds to customize the perfect dog costume and heads over to Henry's house.

Duck (dog) and Henry have a terrific day together doing all the things dogs and their owners do, until Duck gets too tired. And Duck isn't very good at catching and chasing. Finally, his dog costume falls apart. Here is the best part of the story. When Duck is standing there, in all his sad, duck glory, Henry scoops him up and takes him home. No matter that he isn't a dog, a beautiful friendship is born. Be sure not to miss my favorite page, when Henry takes Duck home and gives him "...a nice hot bath and a cup of tea." The picture on this page of Duck after Henry blow dries his feathers is priceless!

[Josh Sonii · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an entertaining book about a child named Henry that wants a pet that will interact with him. He already has 27 frogs and they are all different types. They do not do anything except hop around and say gribbit so he does not like them anymore. He decides that he wants a dog so he puts a newspaper advertisement out for the perfect pet. A lonely duck sees it and decides to disguise himself as a dog because he really wants a friend. He packs up all his stuff and just leaves his house to go make a new friend. Henry is disappointed in his new dog and later finds out that his dog is a duck. Will Henry kick him out or will they become best friends?
The illustrations in the beginning of the book were very plain, but later on the small amount of color and detail began to catch my eye. I also noticed that the area they stood under look like someone smeared graphite under their feet. This is a great children's book because it teaches kids that anyone can be their friend. It could be the most unexpected people, but their is always a chance that it could happen. This is a very entertaining story with very unique illustrations.

[Treasa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Henry has always wanted a dog, one with floppy ears and a wet nose, one that he can play with and teach tricks to. So he places an ad in the newspaper: Wanted: the perfect pet. Duck lives all alone at the top of the hill. He has always wanted a friend. When he reads Henry's ad in the newspaper, he decides to give it a try. He may not be a dog, but he's good at disguises. Henry is thrilled with his new dog... until he notices that his dog is actually a duck. But maybe he was wrong about dogs... maybe he has found the perfect pet in an unexpected friend.

I love this book. I don't know if I can quite explain why. I think it must be the combination of a beautiful story about friendship; a great deal of cleverness and humor (make sure you read the other classifieds that appear in the newspaper around Henry's ad); and sweet, simple illustrations. Whatever it is, I came away from reading this book with a happy feeling.

[Tim Roast · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a beautifully illustrated and beautifully written little book. There are three chapters: the first is where we meet the boy called Henry; the second is where we meet the duck, and the third is where they meet each other.

It’s funny. It has some great lines in it – “Woof” said the duck. The drawings are also funny. Seeing the duck’s house stuck high on a hill is funny the way it is drawn. And all the pictures use clean lines just like on the cover, and are all in colour although a limited pallet is used. Hence the pictures are not too complicated for what they are which adds to their beauty.

There are even extras to this book too. So you can read the story straight through, or you can read all the additional stuff, like the bits next to the advert in the newspaper that is relevant to the story, or all the plaques beneath all the pictures that are on the wall in one picture.

As a package it is beautiful, although short at about 10-minutes in length.

[Leah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wanted the Perfect Pet is a fun book for children to read. It is about a boy named Henry, who really wanted a dog, but in the end received an animals completely different from his expectations.

The author did a clever job with making the ad for the new pet, an actual newspaper ad. I think when the readers first see this, it adds a little comedy to the book. I also like how the author decided to use child like hand writing for the writing in the book. The writer also had bigger text intermingled into a sentence.

The illustrator used simple colors like black and white with a tint color on every image. I think this method makes the images easy to follow. The book lends itself to a comic style book, but keeps a book form. The way the illustrator made the duck into the dog is a cool way of doing that because no one usually can imagine a duck as a dog.

[Heidi-Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read "Perfect Present" and then learned it was a sequel. What the duck packs makes a lot more sense know that I've read the first book. The pictures are just as adorable. I love the duck putting on a disguise. I enjoyed reading the newspaper page. Very fun. This one has a lot more possibilities for a preschool storytime, even though the pictures would still be a bit small for them. But it's worth keeping in mind.

7/9/14: I used as the opener for my Animals preschool theme. They liked seeing the duck dressed up as a dog. I summed up the reasons the duck made a good pet since the book was a little longer than I usually do. But they stuck with it and they seemed to enjoy it. They liked the ending.

[Library Quine · Rating 5 out of 5]

A humorous tale of longing and friendship. One the one hand, Henry wants a dog more than anything in the world; on the other, duck needs a friend. Duck sees Henry's advert for a pet in the paper and decides that this is his opportunity to get a friend. He tries, with hilarious outcomes, to be the perfect pet that Henry longs for. I won't spoil the ending, but just say that both learn a great deal about compromise and friendship before the book ends. I adored this book, loved the ways in which duck tries to make himself more acceptable to the boy with egg box, old socks and string. This book provides scope for some great extension activities - loved it!
IRA (International Reading Assn.) Children's and Young Adults' Book Award winner--Primary Fiction category

[Melissa Gregory · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this story, a little boy Henry wants a pet. Well mainly he wants a dog that wont just be a pet, but a friend. He does everything he can to find the perfect dog. He even places an ad in the paper. One day, a duck gets ahold of this ad and decides he will be the perfect pet for Henry. Rather than making a rash decision, Henry takes the time to research the duck's pros and cons...and in the end realizes that the duck truly is the PERFECT pet for him. I love this book. It would be a great read aloud that activities can easil be made from.