A sweet, sad, supportive guide, respectful of the wounds left when a child’s pet dies.
In this illustrated children’s book, kids whose beloved pets have died learn to cope with their loss.
“We grew together side by side. / I licked your cheeks when you laughed or cried.” So begins a series of reminiscences, pairing pet animals with their young owners: a lovely, big golden retriever with a dungaree-wearing girl with light brown skin; a snuggly tabby with a barefoot, brown-haired white boy; a free-flying golden canary with an exuberant girl with brown braids and light skin; a red Siamese fighting fish with a bespectacled, fair-skinned blond boy; a tame gray rabbit with a gentle African American boy; and an affectionate, red-speckled black snake with a freckled, red-haired girl. Moroko’s digital pastels capture the simple, unadulterated joy of these relationships, and then the trauma and anguish as the pets die. First, the golden retriever’s owner must part with her dog: “Then, one day, my fur turned white. / My legs ached, and I lost my sight.” In a scene where parents and children alike will feel her heartbreak, the redhead grieves her departed snake. And yet, Vadali assures us, the bond between animal and child is too strong to break with death. The golden retriever is shown crossing the rainbow bridge to a happy, pain-free afterlife among other departed animal friends. Moreover, these deceased pets are depicted in whitewashed, transparent ghost form, still watching over and playing alongside their erstwhile owners. Readers may take this literally, or as a metaphor for how a pet’s impact long outlasts its earthly life, but either way it is sure to bring comfort. Vadali even tackles the guilt and trepidation that a child might feel embracing a new animal: “A day may come when you want another pet. / But just the thought might make you sweat. / I’m here to assure you it’s all fine with me. / In fact, I’m sure I’ll watch with glee!” Such sentiments will reassure readers, and the pictures will warm their hearts—so true to life and full of love. The engaging book concludes with a list of ways to celebrate departed animals and, most endearingly, a seven-page gallery of child-drawn pet portraits.
A sweet, sad, supportive guide, respectful of the wounds left when a child’s pet dies.Pub Date: July 18, 2024
ISBN: 9798985387650
Page Count: 44
Publisher: Self
Review Posted Online: June 11, 2025
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
New parents of daughters will eat these up and perhaps pass on the lessons learned.
All the reasons why a daughter needs a mother.
Each spread features an adorable cartoon animal parent-child pair on the recto opposite a rhyming verse: “I’ll always support you in giving your all / in every endeavor, the big and the small, / and be there to catch you in case you should fall. / I hope you believe this is true.” A virtually identical book, Why a Daughter Needs a Dad, publishes simultaneously. Both address standing up for yourself and your values, laughing to ease troubles, being thankful, valuing friendship, persevering and dreaming big, being truthful, thinking through decisions, and being open to differences, among other topics. Though the sentiments/life lessons here and in the companion title are heartfelt and important, there are much better ways to deliver them. These books are likely to go right over children’s heads and developmental levels (especially with the rather advanced vocabulary); their parents are the more likely audience, and for them, the books provide some coaching in what kids need to hear. The two books are largely interchangeable, especially since there are so few references to mom or dad, but one spread in each book reverts to stereotype: Dad balances the two-wheeler, and mom helps with clothing and hair styles. Since the books are separate, it aids in customization for many families.
New parents of daughters will eat these up and perhaps pass on the lessons learned. (Picture book. 4-8, adult)Pub Date: May 1, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-4926-6781-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Review Posted Online: March 16, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2019
Pete’s fans might find it groovy; anyone else has plenty of other “12 Days of Christmas” variants to choose among
Pete, the cat who couldn’t care less, celebrates Christmas with his inimitable lassitude.
If it weren’t part of the title and repeated on every other page, readers unfamiliar with Pete’s shtick might have a hard time arriving at “groovy” to describe his Christmas celebration, as the expressionless cat displays not a hint of groove in Dean’s now-trademark illustrations. Nor does Pete have a great sense of scansion: “On the first day of Christmas, / Pete gave to me… / A road trip to the sea. / GROOVY!” The cat is shown at the wheel of a yellow microbus strung with garland and lights and with a star-topped tree tied to its roof. On the second day of Christmas Pete gives “me” (here depicted as a gray squirrel who gets on the bus) “2 fuzzy gloves, and a road trip to the sea. / GROOVY!” On the third day, he gives “me” (now a white cat who joins Pete and the squirrel) “3 yummy cupcakes,” etc. The “me” mentioned in the lyrics changes from day to day and gift to gift, with “4 far-out surfboards” (a frog), “5 onion rings” (crocodile), and “6 skateboards rolling” (a yellow bird that shares its skateboards with the white cat, the squirrel, the frog, and the crocodile while Pete drives on). Gifts and animals pile on until the microbus finally arrives at the seaside and readers are told yet again that it’s all “GROOVY!”
Pete’s fans might find it groovy; anyone else has plenty of other “12 Days of Christmas” variants to choose among . (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Sept. 18, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-06-267527-9
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Aug. 19, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2018
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