Peggy’s Impossible Tale

Peggy’s Impossible Tale is told in the voice of a remarkable guinea pig. Full of action and surprises, it is guaranteed to captivate the attention of beginning readers. Peggy learns how to communicate with the loving family that adopted her, and she goes on to win a much-coveted prize for her accomplishments.

The Secret Cat

Lucy wants a pet more than anything, even though her mom always says no. But one night, Lucy hears a scratching sound from behind her wallpaper, and a ghostly cat named Silvring appears. Silvring takes Lucy on an adventure and introduces her to a world filled with secret pets just like hers. Not all the secret pets are as friendly as Silvring, though.

Paws And Edward

Espen Dekko’s gently heartbreaking and heart-lifting story hits the perfect note as it explores death in an accessible, child-friendly, and nonfrightening way. By writing from the dog’s perspective, Dekko makes it easier for children to understand and accept Paws’s decline and death. Beginning with Paws dreaming of chasing rabbits and ending with Edward dreaming of Paws chasing rabbits, the story has a circular structure that is satisfying and reassuring, as it conveys the boy’s acceptance of the loss of his beloved pet. Richly colored illustrations by Mari Kanstad Johnsen have a simultaneously retro and contemporary feel, perfectly highlighting the joy and love at the heart of this boy-dog relationship. This book is an excellent choice for any children or adults dealing with or talking about loss, or for lessons about the life cycle of living things.

The Amazing Watercolor Fish/El Asombroso Pez Acuarela

A lonely pet fish longs to know what exists in the world beyond her bowl. “I wish I could see over there / Behind the wall, / Behind the chair.” She imagines a giant tree, a wooly goat and a purple sea. She wonders if there could be someone out there who looks like her, so she leans close to the glass and hears some fish-like cries! “Hello? Is someone there?” she hears. “Are you a bird? / Are you a bee? Or are you a fish with fins like me?” She realizes there’s another fish close by and his name is Mike! When Mike asks what her world is like, the amazing watercolor fish has a great idea. “I ll show Mike what I think could be!” Using watercolors, she paints a picture of a world with trees and swirling rainbows. Every day she paints more, “birds that swim, / ships with wings, / and books that do all sorts of things!” Then Mike uses his paint to illustrate more than just the water and the door.

The Amazing Watercolor Fish/El Asombroso Pez Acuarela has been discussed in My Take/Your Take for September 2020.

My Dog Mouse

We set off, very slowly. Mouse walks at a snail’s pace. He stops at lamp posts and fences and sniffs for a long time. Sometimes he looks up at me and then I usually say something. I maybe say “”old man”” in a very nice voice, not my usual one.This is a book for anyone who knows what it is to love an old, slow dog, with ears as thin as pancakes.