Joe wants a pet but his mother doesn't. In her opinion, pets are too expensive, too big, too smelly, too noisy--too everything. So Joe makes a pet, a penguin named Pingwing, who is constructed of paper, paint, and a cardboard tube, who takes up residence in the refrigerator: Penguins like it cold. Mum loves Pingwing but begins to have her doubts when Joe subsequently creates Pingwing's parents, siblings, aunts, uncles, and cousins, and keeps them all in the fridge. When Mum has nowhere to put her shopping, Joe's father steps in with a surprise--goldfish. Young would-be pet owners will sympathize with Joe's wishes and love his funny solution. The growth of the penguin family strains credibility slightly, but Day's lighthearted illustrations capture the chaos comically, especially Joe's creative frenzy, his quizzical mother, and all those birds. (Picture book. 4-8)
