Emma’s Strange Pet. (An I Can Read Book). Jean Little. Illustrated by Jennifer Plecas. New York, NY: HarperCollins (Distributed by HarperCollins Canada), 2003. 64 pp., cloth, $23.99. ISBN 0-06-028350-5. Subject Headings: Lizards as pets-Fiction. Brothers and sisters-Fiction. Allergy-Fiction. Adoption-Fiction. Preschool-grade 3 / Ages 4-8. Review by Carolyn Sin. *** /4

excerpt:

“I don’t want a dog for Emma. I want a dog for me,” Max said.

“It is hard for Emma, too, but we can’t have furry pets.”

Emma said nothing.

Max did not give up.

Children are fascinated with animals. And for Emma and her younger brother, they really want a pet, but Emma is allergic to furry animals. For her birthday that is just around the corner, Emma is allowed to get any animal she wants. Her choice of a lizard is not the kind of pet that Max wants, but, as he gets to know the lizard better, he grows to accept and even identify with it and eventually wants his own!

     Jean Little brings to her audience a third “I Can Read Book” about Emma and her adopted brother, Max. Young children can readily relate to the themes of this book which include sibling relationships, the desire to want and care for something, sharing and animals. It introduces them to the fact that some children cannot have certain pets due to allergies. Also, they will learn that an anole is a kind of lizard and can change colour according to its background. Readers will find that Emma’s adopted brother, Max, can relate to the lizard because of its new status in the family. He expresses his desire to have one, and, after some consideration, the family buys one for him, too. This is an important step for young Max and his new family as they grow in their ability to express their love and acceptance of each other.

     Illustrator Jennifer Plecas’ watercolour and pen and ink drawings have produced delightful cartoon like pictures for Emma’s Strange Pet. Faces are gently drawn, and her clean style varies perspective and setting which create anticipation at each turn of the page.

Recommended.

Carolyn Sin is an MA student in Children’s Literature at The University of British Columbia in Vancouver, BC.

To comment on this title or this review, send mail to cm@umanitoba.ca.

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Published by The Manitoba Library Association ISSN 1201-9364

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