PIPER'S PET PURSUIT

In Cino’s picture book, a persistent young girl wants a pet.

Imaginative elementary schooler Piper asks her parents every morning at breakfast for an animal to care for, but they downplay her request: “And every day, they have an excuse: ‘Too messy!’ ‘Too smelly!’ or ‘You’re not ready!’” Piper fears that she’ll have to stick to her stuffed dog, Duke, but she slowly welcomes a series of new creature visitors to the house. Squirrels are the first to appear, and she gives them acorns; they’re quickly followed by ants, to whom Piper serves peanut butter, and beetles, and who get a rubber duck to ride in the tub. Unsurprisingly, Piper’s parents aren’t happy about these developments. The chaotic week culminates in the grand opening of Piper’s Bugmore Bed and Breakfast in her grandmother’s antique dollhouse. Frogs, toads, and insects of all kinds take up residence there as a battle of wills between Piper and her parents comes to a head. Peres’ full-page, full-color cartoon illustrations are bright and feel larger than life. Preschoolers who have been asking their own parents for pets will giggle at the lengths to which the optimistic Piper will go, seemingly unaware of the mess she’s creating. Cino provides a picture book that’s simultaneously relatable and over the top.

A funny, creepy-crawly story about determination and inclusivity.