Peter’s Poofect Pet

Peter desperately wanted a pet, any pet, but his parents refused to let him get one. Each time Peter brought up the idea of having a pet, his parents repeated their “No Pet for Peter list”. Pets cost money, pets are a lot of work, pets make noise, pets break things, and reason number five to five hundred on the list…pets poo! After Peter refutes the first four reasons, his parents laugh at his absurd proposal of keeping a pet if> he can find one that does not poo. They accept this challenge, and Peter manages to successfully find a poodle dog that does not poo…at the start, at least.

Though Peter’s Poofect Pet is a short story, there is an abundance of dialogue on many pages. The word “poo” in the title will appeal to some; however, the rate at which the word is used within the text takes away from the humorous aspect of it. Also, the unvaried, standard black Times New Roman font throughout is bland and unexciting.

With the exception of one page, Jenny Campbell’s illustrations lack sufficient vividness and interesting details to intrigue a young audience. The only one with potential to capture readers’ attention shows various types of animals and their unique types of poo. Though blocks of solid watercolour backgrounds attempt to bring greater attention to images, a dull colour palette and lack of interesting content in the foreground make for generally lifeless images throughout the story.

Overall, Peter’s Poofect Pet was a disappointing read. Based on the title, one may assume that the book will be laugh-out-loud funny; however the storyline is much more peculiar than comical. This book is not likely to be a fan favourite.