About the Holiday
Animals and humans coexist on Earth in so many amazing ways. Our pets are beloved family members, we interact and care for the birds, squirrels, chipmunks, and other backyard animals that we see every day, and we are mindful of and should be caretakers of the wild animals that inhabit the plains, mountains, and seas of our planet. Human-Animal Relationship Awareness Week was established by the Animals & Society Institute, which “helps improve and expand knowledge about human-animal relationships in order to create safer and more compassionate communities for all.” Over this week people are encouraged to think about companion animals, assistance animals, animals in shelters, and the safety and well-being of the animals in our care. To celebrate, spend more time with your pet and consider donating to your local animal shelter or wildlife organization.
Children Make Terrible Pets
By Peter Brown
One day Lucy Beatrice Bear was practicing ballet when she smelled someone nearby. She ordered whoever it was to come out. “Squeak,” said the little boy. When he emerged from his hiding place and Lucy got a good look at him, she was delighted. “OH. MY. GOSH! You are the cutest critter in the WHOLE forest!” she exclaimed. “Squeak,” said the boy.
Lucy picked him up and raced home. She burst in where her mom was reading and held him up. “Look what I found outside! I call him Squeaker because he makes funny sounds.” She begged her mom to let her keep him. Lucy’s mom scolded her daughter for bringing a child into the house, reminding her, “Don’t you know children make terrible pets?” But Lucy pleaded and showed her mom how cute he was and assured her that he would be no trouble.
Finally, Lucy’s mom relented—but with one stipulation: Lucy had to take care of him herself. Lucy agreed and told her mom that she’d see that this child would be “the best -+pet EVER.” Lucy and Squeaker did everything together, but while they had fun playing, eating, and napping together, having Squeaker as a pet wasn’t all a bed of roses. For one thing, he was hard to litter box train. He also ran wild and tore up the furniture, tracked in mud, threw food, and even swung from the chandelier.
Then suddenly, Squeaker disappeared. Lucy searched everywhere, but just as she was about to give up, “her sensitive nose caught a whiff of her Squeaker.” Lucy followed her nose all through the forest until she finally found him. But as Lucy watched Squeaker having a picnic lunch with three other humans outside a house, “Squeaker didn’t seem like a pet anymore.” Sadly, Lucy said goodbye to Squeaker and headed back home. On the way she thought about how much she would miss him but decided it was all for the best.
When she got home, she told her mom all about it and had to agree that her mom had been right. “Children do make terrible pets,” she said. But she knew the elephant she found would be just perfect….
Peter Brown’s flip-flop of the “Mom-can-I-keep-him” story will have all readers laughing along—pet owners because they know what a new animal in the house can do, adults because they know what shenanigans little ones can get up to, and kids because…well, the story’s so funny. Brown’s dialog between Lucy and her mother perfectly reflects children’s unbridled zeal when they really, really want something and a parent’s wariness of giving in to a request. On the final page as Lucy finds another pet to love, kids share the knowledge of their own boundless capacity for enthusiasm.
Brown’s illustrations delight with the uninhibited zest kids have for adventures as well as their ability to move on from a disappointment to something new. Lucy’s eager expressions will make kids giggle and adults smile knowingly. Squeaker’s silent acquiescence to being adopted by Lucy and his wild behavior humorously depict children’s readiness for pretend play.
Ages 4 – 7
Little Brown Books for Young Readers, 2010 | ISBN 978-0316015486
You can learn more about Peter Brown, his books, and his art as well as find coloring pages and activity sheets on his website.
Human-Animal Relationship Awareness Week Activity
Animal Matching Game
There are so many animals to love! Play this fun matching game to find pairs of favorite animals!
- Printable Animal Matching Cards
- Regular printing paper or heavy stock paper
- Crayons, colored pencils, or markers
- Print two sheets of the Animal Matching Cards for each player
- Color the cards (optional)
- Cut the cards apart
- Scramble the cards and lay them out face-side down
- Choosing one card at a time, turn one face up and then another.
- If the two cards match leave them face up
- If the two cards do not match lay them face down and try again.
- As you find matching pairs, leave the cards face up until all the pairs have been found.
- If playing against other players, the first to match all their animal cards is the winner
Picture Book Review