MY FIRST BOOK OF HOUSE PETS

An amiable introduction to a menagerie of house pets.

Within this board book’s warmly illustrated pages, young readers meet and learn brief facts about a variety of fluffy, scaled, and feathered critters. Told in short sentences, this work of early nonfiction introduces readers to general types of house pets (cats, dogs, fish, reptiles, birds) and gives a few brief facts about several different species (parakeets, guppies, yellow-bellied sliders). It also reminds readers that pets are a big responsibility, requiring attention and vet care. Unfortunately, the book’s overall look is marred by inconsistent fonts and styles that break each page into choppy sections, making it difficult to read with ease. Factual, if unremarkable statements, like “Dogs are the most popular house pet,” are presented in a large font, while blurbs in a smaller font are more specific and engaging. Animal lovers will likely enjoy learning about cockatiels’ “colorful crest[s]” and how “they really like to whistle!” More consistent than the text are painterly, full-bleed illustrations that showcase the joy of pets. Children and adults who are diverse in skin tone visit an animal shelter, play with a Chihuahua, feed carrots to a thrilled hamster, and brush a pleased-looking cat. The warm, sunny palette with saturated backgrounds is especially appropriate when highlighting the small, precious moments of pet ownership, such as a beaming child hugging a pup. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Though approaching the text is somewhat challenging, the combo of pets and children is appealing.