Review by Booklist Review
This gently humorous title imparts a useful and empathetic aspect to finding the perfect pet. A young boy sets a twig-and-box trap and catches a surprised squirrel. Then he asks his mother, If a squirrel follows me home, can I keep it? Her answer If you were a squirrel, where would you want to live? gets the boy thinking about whether or not the animal would be content being kept as a pet. Then he sets the squirrel free. After catching a few more wild creatures and having to consider their needs, he finally settles on the perfect choice. Observant readers will have spotted the boy's final selection early in the story, as it has been lurking in the background and has actually chosen the child itself instead of the other way around. Clear, colorful digitally collaged illustrations use watercolor, pastel, gouache, and texture on crisp white pages to create amusing pictures of a grubby little boy and the startled critters he catches. This tale imparts a powerful and important message as the child in the story is able to put himself in each animal's place and contemplate its needs before his own desires.--Maryann Owen Copyright 2019 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 1--A boy is on a quest to find a new pet. He proposes different pets to his mother while asking her if he can keep each one. His mother informs her son how each animal prefers to live. The boy finds ways to imitate the lifestyle of different animals in his own childlike way. Repetition is a key element of this book. The boy repeats the question "Can I keep it?" and the mother responds by repeating a question as well, which gives the text a rhythmic quality. It also captures readers' attention and aids in spurring curiosity over what potential pet will be shown next. Sounds are emphasized using large and attention-grabbing font. There is a heavy use of white space, which helps focus viewer attention on the action. The artwork weaves together a diverse array of textures, creating the illusion of a three-dimensional quality. The illustrations use humor to show how the boy acquires each animal, which is not included in the narrative's dialogue. These contradictions add a comedic touch to the book. VERDICT A fun addition to any storytime collection.--Deanna Smith, Pender County Public Library, NC
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
A young boy tries to get himself a pet in this picture book.The story opens with a double-page spread of a boy trapping a squirrel using a propped-up cardboard box. The boy's expression is hopeful as he asks, "Mom, if a squirrel follows me home, can I keep it?" This is a bending of the truth that isn't so much cute as it is the second display of the boy's questionable role modeling for readers. Mom, whose face readers never see, tells her son that squirrels like to climb trees and gather acorns. The boy gets the point and lets the squirrel go, even gathering it some acorns. (Against seasonal logic, the ripe acorns are shown on the same tree as a bird's nest containing eggs.) The boy tries this gig twice more with a frog and a bird, and with each his mother reminds him where the animal would be happiest. Meanwhile, a stray cat has been following the boy throughout, and the story ends as the boy finally gets a pet that has genuinely followed him home. Author/illustrator Jobe's watercolor, gouache, pastel, and digitally collaged illustrations inventively utilize negative and positive spaceand kudos for the unusual viewpoints presentedbut their clinical precision, as well as the faceless mother, gives the story a rather sterile ambiance. Both boy and mother present white.Dubious activities are paired with sophisticated but emotionally detached illustrations. (Picture book. 5-8) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
