BETTER PETS

A pair of best friends go in search of the perfect animal companion.

When Yvette and Evan visit a pet fair run by a mustachioed, flamboyant vendor, they discover that the creatures on offer are anything but ordinary. Bardugo’s wordplay is the engine driving the fun: Yvette and Evan meet a “Springer Spaniel” whose coiled, spring-loaded legs launch it toward the highest shelf; the “Refrigegator,” a grinning reptile with a fully stocked refrigerator for a torso (“Save your snacks for later!”); and the “Hoarse Horse,” who, with an ice pack on its head, obligingly hacks “COUGH COUGH” into a telephone to help a child play hooky. Each animal’s name is a pun on its absurd superpower, highlighted in bold color as if the book itself is in on the joke. Climo’s cartoon illustrations, rendered in clean linework with a mostly softer palette of greens, pinks, browns, blues, grays, and yellows, reward repeat readings—spreads are packed with background mischief that sharp-eyed children will delight in finding. The compositions alternate between crowd-filled neighborhood and fair scenes and quieter two-character exchanges, giving readers room to breathe before diving back into cheerful chaos. The message—that the right pet is the one that fits your life—lands with grace. Yvette presents Black; Evan and the vendor are pale-skinned.

A witty charmer, rife with both heart and puns.