SMALL PETS

In Newbery Medalist Rylant’s latest, truly great things come in small packages.

Welcome to a very small neighborhood where nearly everyone has a little pet (“they don’t take up much room”). Brief sections introduce the various animals, starting with a pair of parakeets: Zelda loves to gaze at herself in the mirror, while Marty enjoys doing tricks; they are sweet on each other. Puff the rabbit makes a nest for her babies “from her own bunny fur,” but her mate, Fluff, is a distant dad until the youngsters get older. Mice Tomato and Potato love running on their wheel, eating carrots, and being held by their gentle young owner. Corgis Cookie, Biscuit, and Muffin have an important job: going to the park, where they’re showered with attention. As night falls, all the small pets snuggle up in their beds: “Maybe you are cozy, too?” This sweet book has something for everyone: a focus on cute animals, a lulling cadence ideal for bedtime, and plenty of allure for burgeoning readers. Rylant’s prose flows smoothly, conveying each animal’s personality in the fewest possible words. Shum’s clearly outlined, simplified cartoons inventively shift perspective. The tots pictured against blank or minimalist backgrounds vary in skin tone.

A winsome tale that makes a convincing case for pet ownership.