Not That Pet! By Smriti Prasadam-Halls


Not That Pet! By Smriti Prasadam-Halls
Illustrator: Rosalind Beardshaw
Publisher: Candlewick Press, a Walker Books imprint
Genre: Contemporary, Children’s (0 – 6 y.o.)
Rating: 5 stars
Reviewed by Mistflower

It’s time to get a pet! Will Mabel find the perfect one for her family?

Hooray! Mabel and her family are getting a pet! There’s no time to lose! But which kind of animal should they choose? Not the snake – it’s too scary. The elephant’s too big. The worms are too wriggly and the hyena too giggly. Then Mabel has the perfect idea. But will her family agree? A laugh-out-loud rhyming story about finding the perfect pet – with plenty of hilarious twists along the way.

The third book we chose to read for our summer reading program was Not That Pet! I am a nanny of a six-year-old girl going into first grade. It’s fun seeing a child’s eyes light up when a book or story engages their imagination. This story was another hit.

This was an entertaining read! This is a rhyming read-aloud story that had us both giggling from the beginning of the story to the end. The main character, Mabel, is allowed to pick the family pet. She is determined to find the perfect pet. Her choices had us groaning, ‘oh nooo’ while shaking our heads and laughing out loud. We couldn’t read fast enough to see Mabel’s next choice. Her final decision was unpredictable. We couldn’t believe the final choice was a…. well, you’ll just have to read the story yourself to find out.

The illustrations themselves had us smirking. We took the time to really look at the pages and discovered small details that really added to the enjoyment of the story. We read this story several times which is an indicator that this book is a keeper.

Enjoy reading Summer 2023!

Interrupting Chicken by David Ezra Stein


Interrupting Chicken by David Ezra Stein
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Genre: Childrens, Contemporary
Length: Short Story (40 pages)
Age Recommendation: 3+
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

It’s time for the little red chicken’s bedtime story—and a reminder from Papa to try not to interrupt. But the chicken can’t help herself! Whether the tale is Hansel and Gretel or Little Red Riding Hood or even Chicken Little, she jumps into the story to save its hapless characters from doing some dangerous or silly thing. Now it’s the little red chicken’s turn to tell a story, but will her yawning papa make it to the end without his own kind of interrupting? Energetically illustrated with glowing colors—and offering humorous story-within-a-story views—this all-too-familiar tale is sure to amuse (and hold the attention of ) spirited little chicks.

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This story had a fantastic sense of humor. I couldn’t help but to laugh every single time the little red chicken interrupted one of the fairy tales her father was reading to her in order to warn the characters about what would happen to them next. She felt she had good reasons for the choices she made, but she also struggled to understand why her father didn’t appreciate her antics.

The ending felt abrupt to me. While I appreciated the fact that Mr. Stein took such a creative approach to how this evening ended for his characters, I would have preferred to see them spend some more time finding a resolution for the problem they were facing. This is something I’d want to discuss with a preschooler after reading it to make sure they understood how it ended and why it ended that way.

The message of this tale was clear, but it was never heavy-handed. I respected the fact that the author trusted his audience to understand what he was trying to say. This was even more important to me than the narrator’s ability to find the funny side in what can be a very annoying habit. Including such a lighthearted approach to the author’s message meant that I’d be happy to read this over and over again.

Interrupting Chicken should be read by anyone who has ever felt the irresistible urge to speak up before someone else is finished talking.