Invent-a-Pet

by Vicky Fang, Tidawan Thaipinnarong (Illustrator)

Overview

Bunnies, pandas, and monkeys, oh my! For fans of Ada Twist, Scientist, this picture book about finding your perfect pet introduces basic STEAM and coding concepts—and some ridiculously adorable animals!

Katie is an ordinary girl who longs for an extraordinary pet—something more spectacular than a simple goldfish. Then one day Katie comes home to find a gift from her mother: a mysterious machine designed to help her create that one-of-a-kind creature. Each time she feeds different items into the machine, out comes a marvelously colorful new animal—like a purple monkey, rainbow-spotted horse, and green bunny! But none of them is just right. Through trial and error, Katie figures out the formula for her absolutely perfect SURPRISE pet.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781454933816
Publisher:	Union Square Kids
Publication date:	06/02/2020
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	1,060,692
Product dimensions:	8.60(w) x 11.00(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	3 - 7 Years

About the Author

Vicky Fang is a product designer and children’s book author. This is her first picture book, and she has also written the early chapter book series, Layla and the Bots. She lives with her family in Mountain View, CA, and can be found online at vickyfang.com and on Twitter @fangmous. 
 
Tidawan Thaipinnarong is a freelance illustrator and visual development artist, currently based in Bangkok, Thailand. She graduated from Academy of Art University in San Francisco, California, with an MFA in Illustration. This is her first picture book.
 

Editorial Reviews

2020-03-15
With the help of a machine, Katie tries to create a unique pet.

Katie doesn’t want a “common” pet, like a goldfish—she wants something “extraordinary.” When her mom gifts her a mysterious machine, Katie is excited to create her pet. Curious, she puts three items—a soccer ball, grass, a carrot—into the input slots, and out pops a rotund, green bunny. Katie eagerly adds different things, like a flower for beauty and a feather to make wings, but the animals never come out right. She decides to figure out how the machine works. By inputting the same items, then changing one variable each time, Katie discovers that the different inputs control the size, color, and animal. As she is experimenting, Katie fails to notice the number of animals running loose in her living room. After turning her driveway into a pet-adoption facility, Katie finally creates her extraordinary pet. This silly tale is a smart take on a child’s imagination and problem-solving. With fun onomatopoeia, it’s a great read-aloud, especially apt as part of a lesson on the scientific method. The cartoon illustrations, particularly those of the invented pets, are busy and bright, and readers will enjoy guessing along with Katie what animal might be coming out. Katie and her mother present Asian.

A delightful introduction to scientific experimentation—with impossibly cute pets. (Picture book. 3-7)

Kirkus Reviews