Tots to Teens & in beTween - A Pet For Petunia by Paul Schmid

Title: A Pet for Petunia

Author & Illustrator:

Paul Schmid

Publisher: Harper Collins

Publication Date:

February 1, 2011

Format: Hardback, 40 pages

Genre: Children's books, Picture books

How I Got It: the library

Summary from book: 
Meet Petunia.
More than anything, Petunia wants a pet.
“I’ll feed my pet every day,” she promises her parents. “I’ll take her for walks. I’ll read stories to her and draw her pictures.”
Petunia knows she can take care of a pet, but what happens when the pet she most desires is a skunk?

Petunia likes skunks.

No, that's not exactly right.

Petunia LOVES skunks!

Petunia can think of nothing better to have than her very own pet skunk.  Using her toy skunk as a model, she extolls the the virtues and cuteness of skunks.  They have stripes, big black eyes, and cute little noses!

I'll feed my skunk every day.  I promise!  Really!

She tells her parents how responsible she'll be.  She'll feed it everyday, take it for walks, read stories and draw pictures with it, and  clean it's litter box every hour even!  Petunia is aghast when her parents say no to such a perfect pet.

What! Why not?

When they explain that skunks stink, Petunia goes on an indignant tirade worthy of the Pigeon himself.  She's wonderfully outrageous and everything she says will be very familiar to parents.  She talks about how the situation stinks, how she needs a pet skunk and will die if she doesn't get one, they said no to the python and now the skunk, and even asks "Why did I have to get born into THIS family?"  Petunia decides to take matters into her own hands.

"With such disappointing lunkheads for parents, naturally Petunia must leave home."

She heads for the woods and wanders around where she briefly considers being eaten by bears.  During her wanderings she stumbles upon the object of her obsession.  The skunk was black and white, and had a cute little nose, big black eyes, stripes… She gives a little gasp of joy and then smells "the worst smell she has ever smelled in her whole entire life."

It is not a small smell.

It is not even a big smell.

It is a STINK!

Petunia immediately runs home with tears flowing from her eyes.  Eventually she recovers from the shock of the skunk's stink and declares them "AWESOME!"  That's right, skunks are awesomely stinky.  But she looks down into the eyes of her faithful toy skunk and "decides that she already has a perfectly awesome pet."

I am completely in love with Petunia.  She's full of sass, energy, dramatics - she's Olivia and the Pigeon rolled into one skunk loving package!  A Pet For Petunia is so wonderfully exuberant and bouncy, there's no way you can calmly read this book.  Kids will love Petunia's over the top attitude and absurdly poor choice in pets.  Schmid's cheerful illustrations are simple using only black, white, lavender, and the occasional yellow highlight.  He captures his Petunia's vivacious attitude and skunks have never looked cuter or more snuggly!

Verdict:

Do you have children or know someone who does?  You should buy this book for them.  Are you an elementary school teacher?  You should buy this book and read it to your kids.  Do you have a pulse?  You should buy this book.  A Pet For Petunia is so much fun and sure to be a childhood staple if not eventual classic.  That's a pretty bold statement, I know, but this book rocked!  Go ahead and test drive it from the library, but you know you're going to want to make it yours.  I will definitely be picking up a copy for my son and I to share.  (It's probably going to make its way into a few Christmas and birthday gifts too.)

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