My Tiny Pet

by Jessie Hartland, Jessie Hartland (Illustrator)

Overview

A witty celebration of the tiny tardigrade, a microscopic creature that looks like a bear

Living in a tiny house has one huge drawback--no space for pets. So when a little girl's parents announce that it's time for the family to simplify, downsizing from a huge home in the city to a tiny house in the woods, it's quite a blow--after all, she's grown quite fond of her pet poodles, cats, tarantula, snake, hedgehogs, mice, birds, fish, octopus, rabbits, pony, pig, and turtles. Fortunately, she finds them all good homes, and she has to admit that she enjoys her new simpler life.
     There's just one thing: She still really wants just one pet.
     At first the answer is no. But using a little scientific savvy, she finds one that could be just the right fit--how could anyone turn down a pet smaller than an ant's eye that doesn't need special food or toys or walking, and will always be small enough to squeeze into their home, no matter how much they downsize?
     Jessie Hartland creatively blends fantasy and science in a far-out story that bursts with exuberance. Her whimsical art celebrates one very thoughtful, persistent little girl and introduces readers to the tiny tardigrade, with its fascinating array of survival skills.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781524737542
Publisher:	Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication date:	08/06/2019
Sold by:	Penguin Group
Format:	eBook
Pages:	32
Lexile:	520L (what's this?)
File size:	21 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Jessie Hartland illustrated Lexie the Word Wrangler (by Rebecca Van Slyke), a Chicago Public Library Best of the Best Book, and has written and illustrated many picture books, including Steve Jobs: Insanely Great!, How the Dinosaur Got to the Museum, Bon Appetit: the Delicious Life of Julia Child, and How the Meteorite got to the Museum. Her paintings have been exhibited in Venice, Tokyo, Long Island, and New York City. She has painted murals at a Japanese amusement park, designed Christmas windows for Bloomingdale's, and put her mark on ceramics, watches, and all sorts of other things. Her illustrations have appeared in the New York Times, Travel and Leisure Family, Martha Stewart Kids, Bon Appetit, and Fit Pregnancy. She lives in New York City.

Editorial Reviews

…whimsical yet informative…

The New York Times Book Review - Bruce Handy

03/04/2019

When a family’s household reaches maximum pet capacity (critters include “six poodles,/ ten cats, a tarantula, two/ snakes, three hedgehogs,/ ten mice, countless birds,” and more), it’s time to simplify. Painting in a playfully harried art style, Hartland shows the family rehoming the animals and establishing themselves in a modest woodland cabin. But the child narrator pines for a new pet. When she learns about the microscopic tardigrade, or “water bear,” she adopts one. She informs her worried parents that it will stay microscopic (they envision a nightmare scenario in which the tardigrade has grown gigantic) and will not bark or shed. An author’s note about the fascinating creatures concludes this clever story perfect for the era of tiny living. Ages 4–8. (Aug.)

Publishers Weekly

* “What's a kid got to do to get a pet when the parents subscribe to the tiny house philosophy? . . . Hartland's ingenuous gouache illustrations are chock-full of playful, humorous details, and the book's fresh storyline exposing the tiny world of tardigrades will have an undeniable appeal to young readers. Visually, crisp dialogue bubbles mix with text and full-bleed illustrations to create a lively, engaging presentation (including an author's note with tardigrade fun facts). . . . Original, superinteresting, expertly presented.”—Kirkus Reviews, starred review

“Paint[ed] in a playfully harried art style. . . . An author’s note about the fascinating creatures concludes this clever story perfect for the era of tiny living.”—Publishers Weekly

“The loopy gouache artwork captures the antic family decampments and the narrator’s can-do attitude toward making the best of her situation even as she angles to get her way. . . . [Readers] will surely wonder at the worlds that exist just beyond their sight.”—The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

“Almost every child yearns for a pet, and this book’s protagonist is no different. . . . Hartland uses a simple narrative and hilarious, detailed gouache paintings to tell a story that will have every child asking for a micro-pet. Fun and informative.”—School Library Journal

From the Publisher

08/01/2019

PreS-Gr 1—Almost every child yearns for a pet, and this book's protagonist is no different. Luckily, she lives in a "ginormous house." She has every kind of pet, in astonishing numbers, until her parents decide to downsize, and they are all adopted out to loving families. Still, there is the yearning. Getting her inspiration from a science class, the nameless child convinces her parents to allow her to keep a tardigrade, otherwise known as a water bear. Tardigrades can't be seen with the naked eye, and can live under all kinds of extreme conditions; how could Mom and Dad say no? Hartland uses a simple narrative and hilarious, detailed gouache paintings to tell a story that will have every child asking for a micro-pet. VERDICT Fun and informative, a great addition to larger collections and best for a lap-sit or read-alone, to enjoy the details in the illustrations.—Lisa Lehmuller, Paul Cuffee Maritime Charter School, Providence

School Library Journal

★ 2019-04-10
A young child finds the perfect pet for a downsized lifestyle in this picture book.

What's a kid got to do to get a pet when the parents subscribe to the tiny house philosophy? The young narrator used to live "in a ginormous house…with six poodles, ten cats, a tarantula…"—and the pet list goes on in a delightfully rippling fashion. But when the child's parents decide to "downsize!" and "simplify!" the pets are given away and the family moves to a tiny house in the woods. "All is good," the narrator says in the casual, friendly tone that distinguishes the narrative, "except I really want a pet." The parents are adamant: no pets. In science class, however, the child learns about the microscopic tardigrade—the "water bear"—and is convinced it would make the perfect tiny pet. Author/illustrator Hartland's ingenuous gouache illustrations are chock-full of playful, humorous details (such as specialized pet products that include mouse Halloween costumes and toothpaste for elephants), and the book's fresh storyline exposing the tiny world of tardigrades will have an undeniable appeal to young readers (and may inspire adoptions of microscopic pets). Visually, crisp dialogue bubbles mix with text and full-bleed illustrations to create a lively, engaging presentation (including an author's note with tardigrade fun facts). The narrator and parents are shown as white with other characters illustrated in various skin tones.

Original, superinteresting, expertly presented. (Picture book. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews