Last week I promoted cats as purr-fect pets for our children. If you’re unconvinced, I have one more book for you about the clever felines: “A Very Smart Cat. Una Gata Muy Inteligente” by Mario Picayo. The title speaks for itself and the engaging collages by Yolanda Fundora are a great visual for this humorous, bilingual story. Enjoy it!
Or not. If you are not a fan of whiskers, I can flood you with books and you won’t let a cat into your house. Unless it it the Puss in Boots, right?
Today I have a story for dog lovers. Not that they need a book to get a puppy. If someone loves dogs, they will have them no matter what. But, often times, there is someone in the house that needs to buy into the whole puppy business. Surprisingly, it is usually the mother! (A coincident or do we just know that as soon as the dog enters the house, it will be up to us to train, feed and walk this tail-wagging-furry creature at 5 am, summer or winter?)
This is how one smart kid talked his mom into getting a puppy:
A little boy kept asking his mother for a dog. Every time she would say no. Dogs are messy and loud. The boy asked his mother for a dragon pet instead. She agreed, if he would find one. It was a tall order, but eventually the boy came across a dragon at the drug store. After long negotiations, the fire-blowing beast accepted the offer and moved in with the boy. As it turned out, dragons are not the easiest pets. They make mess in the kitchen, listen to the music at night and eat spaghetti in the bathtub. And the worst of all, they refuse to move out. Luckily, the boy knew a secret. Dragons are afraid of dogs…
Will mom finally agree to have a puppy in order to get rid of the dragon? What mom wouldn’t right? Even I would consider and I am not a dog person.
A delightful read for any child longing to have a canine friend at home. What’s more,it’s a great lesson on how to negotiate successfully. Comical, retro-style illustrations by Hanako Wakiyama
