Children Make Terrible Pets

Author: Peter Brown

Summary: When Lucy, the bear, finds "the cutest little critter in the whole forest," she can't resist taking it home. She names him Squeaker and promises she'll take care of him. Lucy's mother is unhappy to see that Lucy has brought home a child! She asks, "Don't you know children make terrible pets?" Lucy and Squeaker become fast friends, but the good times are short-lived when Lucy begins to discover her mother might be right.

Review: The roles are reversed in this clever tale of a bear named Lucy who finds a boy in the woods and wants to keep him as her pet. Just as people know bears don't make good pets, Lucy finds children aren't ideal pets either. They are messy and hard to control, and ultimately belong with their own kind. Brown's illustrations use warm colors that create a nostalgic feeling. The pictures are clean and uncluttered. Brown concentrates only on the action of the story and leaves the background blank on most the pages.

Interest Level: Grades K-2
AR Level: 1.8 (worth .5 pts.)
Lexile Level: Not listed

Profanity:
None

Potentially Inappropriate Behavior:
Child ruins furniture (as a pet might)
Child swings from chandeiler

Potentially Inappropriate References:
None

Parental Concern Rating:
0 out of 5