Product Description

Bird?
Bunny?
Turtle?
Fish?

Elizabeth really, really wants a pet, but her parents say NO to all of her ideas. Instead, she ends up with a cactus called Carolyn. And after some very unsuccessful campaigning, to her wonderful surprise, Elizabeth encounters Doug -- surely the most unusual and special pet of all.

Even Carolyn agrees.

Margie Palatini and Bruce Whatley team up for a wacky picture book that handles a topic every parent and child will relate to -- choosing that just perfect pet.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #659187 in Books
• Published on: 2003-04-01
• Released on: 2003-04-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 32 pages

From School Library Journal
PreSchool-Grade 2-Palatini adds her own brand of offbeat humor and an unexpected ending to the traditional story of a child trying to convince her parents that she should have a pet. Elizabeth accepts the substitute cactus plant ("-it had quite a prickly sense of humor") and even names it, but she doesn't give up, surprising her parents in bed, in the bathroom ("Catch Them Off Guard"), and at the dinner table. While she enumerates the advantages of each animal, requesting everything from a horse to a rat, her parents counter with the negatives. Finally, the child finds her own solution. She adopts a bug, names him Doug, and provides him with a perfect habitat, good food, and companionship. He is the perfect pet, and Elizabeth loves him for his differences and individuality. Mother, on the other hand, is not happy with the idea. There is a happy ending, though, as Doug joins the family on the couch with a bowl of popcorn. The finely crafted illustrations in both delicate pastel shades and bright colors combine realistic pictures of animals and people with cartoon elements and an engaging little bug. For storytimes, combine this winner with Liesel Moak Skorpen's All the Lassies (Dial, 1970; o.p.) and Judith Viorst's poem "Mother Doesn't Want a Dog." Good for individual or group sharing.
Marlene Gawron, formerly at Orange County Library, Orlando, FL
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
PreS-Gr. 2. Elizabeth won't take no for an answer when her parents refuse to get her a pet. Although she likes her pet cactus, Carolyn, she really wants something that moves, so she hatches plan after plan, determined to get what she wants. She tries "Element of Surprise," waking her parents up at night to request a horse. "Father yawned, 'A horse is too big.' / Mother sighed, 'Our yard is too small.'" Elizabeth receives similar responses when she tries "Catch Them Off Guard" to request a dog, and the "Full Stomach" approach to ask for a cat while at the dinner table. Nothing works, but just as Elizabeth runs out of ideas, she discovers Doug, a bug, right on her rug. Then, she has to convince her mother that Doug is perfect. "Think we should have said 'yes' to the dog?" whispers Father to Mother. Whatley's bright, double-page spreads are hilarious, depicting the best- and the worst-case scenarios of pet ownership. Great for reading aloud; children will delight in Elizabeth's resourcefulness and persistence. Helen Rosenberg
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

About the Author
Margie Palatini is the author of many hilarious books for children, including Moosetache and Mooseltoe, illustrated by Henry Cole: Piggie Pie! and Zoom Broom, illustrated by Howard Fine: Bedhead, illustrated by Jack E. Davis; and The Web Files, illustrated by Richard Egielski, an ALA Notable Book. She lives with her family in New Jersey.

Customer Reviews

Great writing topic!
This is a great book to use to have your class write a persuasive piece about asking their parents for a pet!

The Perfect Pet
Loved this book! Gave it to my granddaughters who loved it and so did their parents. It has a sweet sense of humor and a fun way of talking about having a pet.

The Perfect Book By Diego
I really like this book because it tells about a girl that wants a pet but her parents won't let her. Her parents gave her a cactus but she didnt like it and it wasnt a pet. Then she asked her parents almost all the animals and their parents said "NO". If you want to know more about this book read " THE PERFECT PET".