PLAY WITH PUPPY

Somebunny has bitten off more than they can chew when it comes to pet ownership.

This tale of life in an anthropomorphic bunny family examines the difference between the dream of owning a pet and its realities and responsibilities. Throughout, watercolor-and-ink illustrations are redundant of the lackluster text, which delivers a straightforward lesson within its story. Initially, the first-person narrator campaigns hard to get a puppy as a birthday present, declaring “I wanted a puppy to play with all day long.” When that dream comes true, however, puppy ownership ends up being not all it was cracked up to be. Sometimes the protagonist wants to do other things, but their parents and others are always telling them to “play with Puppy” to keep their new pet out of mischief. Exasperated, the bunny yells at the poor puppy, and it scampers away and gets lost. While it’s gone, the protagonist reflects on their impatience and grows worried about the puppy, too. Happily, the dog returns, “muddy and smelly and cruddy on his belly” but otherwise unscathed. Having learned an important lesson, the bunny goes out to play with the puppy, but there is no exploration of strategies the bunny and their family might explore to establish a healthy puppy-owner relationship.

Neither a terribly playful read nor an especially useful one.