And those whose wish has included a visit to the pet shop, will undoubtedly have wanted theirs to be the cutest, cuddliest critter that they’ve ever slapped eyes on.
And so … what actually happens when the pet you get, is a fish?
If it’s
wet, it isn’t a pet!
You can
play with a puppy and snuggle a bunny,
but as much
as you wish, you can’t pat a fish.
The 32 eye-catching images of different
breeds of dog, dressed and au natural, appear in various poses within
frames.
You never know what you will see at the dog beach.
These dogs are sniffing and digging up strange and familiar things from their soggy sand hiding place.
Seagulls keep their distance.
They are gathered here on the beach, to frolic and
play.
A Beginner’s Guide to Choosing the Perfect Pet is advice in the form of a light-hearted picture book, narrated by an unnamed young girl who clearly loves animals.
Animals of all kinds are presented in vibrant colour and active poses, with information about their potential suitability to different personalities, or not.
Tigers, for example, are cuddly and love playing hide-and-seek. While rhinos are very handy, with their horn making a great hanger for hats and bags.
Acclaimed author and mischief-maker Mick Elliot delivers a veritable snapshot of all the possible combinations of mothers, children and their cats – also known as mogs.
This celebration of all things feline within family is a hoot.
‘A joyful carnival of fun, family, and more than a
little bit of mischief…’
We are treated to many, many bright and cheerful illustrations of family situations where mogs abound in daily life.
The fourth book in Anh Do's Smarty Pup series is packed full of everyday adventures for new readers.
It begins with Dad's birthday. Birthdays mean presents and if they're to find the right one, JJ will need to remain strong against deliciously distracting food smells at the shops.
But what to buy for him? And do they have enough money to buy it?
JJ and Lily hunt for spare change without much luck. Then they discover they have the chance to win a cash prize at the school talent quest.
What will JJ do for his talent? Recite Shakespeare, because of course he's brilliant at it. Or perhaps disco dancing, because he can dance like he's done it for years.
Inside is information on just HOW the frog is nature’s alarm, along with an array of fun facts and interesting anecdotes that will likely leave you croaking for more.
What animal can eat and drink through its skin, jump
up to 20 times its height and taste with its eye?
Yes, the not-so-humble frog! And did you know that in captivity, frogs can live for up to 20 years?
Or, that frogs don’t drink water but absorb it through their skin?
And that frogs are colour-blind? You do now.
Bertie
prefers to stay home where it’s comfortable and ordered, with her little dog
and bluebird. But one day, her pets have a different idea and Bertie must follow
them into the big world outside to ensure they are safe.
And what a world it is! Full of surprises, not the least of which is a large,
ginger cat who leads Bertie and her pets on a wondrous, merry adventure.
The beautiful
gouache illustrations appear at first to be a little sedate and flat, before
morphing into vivid colour as Bertie and her pets move into an exotic, exciting
landscape.
In a neat crossover with Anh Do’s Weirdo series, the guests include Weir Do and his dad who is a firefighter. Mr Do has brought a real firetruck for the kids to see.
Lily, JJ and their friends get to try out some of the protective clothing (helmet, goggles, jacket and so one), and equipment like the fire hose. When aiming the hose goes a bit haywire, water goes everywhere! There are also fire drills, with the kids practising how to ‘get down low and GO, GO, GO!’
Little
Ted’s friends Jemima, Humpty, Big Ted and Kiya are coming to visit, because he
is very sad about the death of his pet goldfish and friend, Swish.
His friends
bring Little Ted a scrapbook with photos of Swish to stick into it, along with a
picnic for when they get hungry, a ball to play with outside together, and the
reassurance that they will come back another day to play again.
It’s school holidays and Oli wishes he could just stay home doing boring old familiar things, or go on a holiday with his family like some of the other kids in his class.
Instead, he has to go to Heroes Club to learn how to read emotions and express himself appropriately and all the stuff that he finds really, really hard and confronting to do.
To cap it
off, his sister is going to drama club and she won’t be around for him. This
makes life hard for Oli because he’s used to her standing up for him, and speaking
when he cannot – which is quite a lot.
The childlike, delightful and a-little-bit-naughty Mr McGee seems to know this too, when he is attacked by a flea that simply will not give up in the opening stages of this romp of a picture book.
Master
children’s storyteller Pamela Allen creates works that are fresh, vibrant and
dynamic. Her beloved Mr McGee and The Biting Flea is celebrating it’s 25th
anniversary this year, and yet it feels absolutely sparkly and new and
appropriate for today’s readers, in this gorgeous board book presentation.
Packed with alliteration, cute dogs, and involved dads, Dads and Dogs is a chance to practice reading, have a laugh, and find yourself and your family in the book.
There's a different dad and dog on each page, which adds up to a lot of them! All are appealing, and there's humour throughout.
Life is never boring and there are little things in the pictures that show this, like one dog eating dad's cupcake, and another knocking the ladder dad's using while painting the wall. There's even a clever dog balancing between two skateboards.
Did you know that Australia has one of the highest rates of pet ownership in the world, with almost 40% of households including one or more dogs?
Did you
also know that old photos often contain blurred dogs who wouldn’t stay still
for old-fashioned cameras?
Well now
you do!
Australia’s Dogs contains these fun facts and a lot more besides. This amazing book is a tribute to the dogs who share our lives in every way.
Although holidays loom, her class has been set a friendship assignment to be completed during the break. This is a challenge for Scout, with results she could never imagine.
Scout has something wonderful to look forward to. She and Dad set out in their truck to deliver donated dog food to the animal rescue shelters in rural Australia to cover the Christmas need.
Their trip is more than just the deliveries. It is a time to bond, meet new dogs and help others that might have some need. Updating the shelter’s site for the manager at their first stop is the start.
Brainstorming leads to a plethora of clever ideas, beginning with a site to find forever homes for every dog.
Scout creates a list of profiles and characteristics for each canine so they can be matched up to a suitable owner. (Tony Flowers’ illustrations for this are a perfect touch to the story). Each stop they make, even through fire-ravaged areas, deepens Scout’s resolve to find homes for the shelter dogs.
The talented Dianne Wolfer has created an interesting chapter book full of innovative thoughts and ideas around the importance of considering properly, what is involved in choosing a dog or giving one as a gift.
With an accent on climate change and the bushfires recently experienced in our country, it addresses community, helping wild animals and each other in times of crisis, concerns for unlicensed backyard puppy farms, and how children are affected by grief.
A funny section of jokes flows through the narrative which relieves the seriousness of animal rescue shelters.
Title: Scout And The Rescue Dogs
However, there is no seat in the immediate vicinity and it soon becomes apparent that she will only place her tutu-clad posterior on the best seat in the house.
We
know this because she demands it, over and over and over again.
Like book one (Friends Fur-ever), this book is in fully colour. It's brightness is not just visual, it's a vibrant story as well.
JJ is a genius pup. He's good at just about everything. Plus he's got super hearing, super smell, and is super fast.
This time around JJ and his special friend Lily are heading off camping and will be learning about bravery. Or at least they will be once Lily and and the other students convince the teacher that JJ deserves to be part of the school trip -- he's one of the class after all, never mind that he's a dog rather than a human.
Although excited about camping, Lily's also a bit nervous. She and dad talk about different kinds of bravery.
Lionel And
Me celebrates
kindness, friendship and caring through the heartwarming relationship between
two real-life dogs – Maverick the golden retriever and Lionel the dachshund.