I want a dog

By Author / Illustrator

Jon Agee

Genre

Animals

Age range(s)

Publisher

Scallywag Press

ISBN

9781915252104

Format

Paperback / softback

Published

07-09-2023

Synopsis

One little girl is determined to find her perfect pet at a wonderfully unusual animal shelter. The Copley County Animal Shelter has an aardvark, a lizard, a goose, a weasel, and plenty more. But do they have a dog? Our little girl has even turned up with a trolley to take home a dog - and she will not take 'no' for an answer!

This hilarious subversion of the standard you-cannot-have-a-pet trope is a wonderful read-aloud text with repetition and build up of drama. The fun of the story could even lead to a wider discussion about what pets it is really possible to have.

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Reviews

I Want A Dog is lovely picture book about a girl who is desperate for a DOG! She goes to her local animal shelter in search for her dream pet. She meets the owner of the shelter, who brings her every animal but a dog, and as the girl gets progressively more cross the story gets funnier and funnier. It isn't until the man asks her what is so special about a dog that the story takes an interesting turn…

I really enjoyed the comedy throughout the book and how each animal becomes slightly more impossible, yet hilarious also. I also liked how the story took place in a shelter and not a pet store, which can be a great conversation starter with children about what a shelter is and why we have them.

I look forward to sharing this with my class and showing them the brilliant illustrations, also by Jon Agee. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and will be looking out for more Jon Agee books in the future.

Picture book / Lauren Maidman, class teacher