Children delight in the visual comedy of seeing massive animals like giraffes and tigers trying to squeeze into the tiny, everyday spaces of Emily's house.
The narrative structure allows kids to participate in Emily's decision making process, turning the story into a playful game of guessing which animal will appear next.
Readers connect with Emily because she is given the agency to reject logical options in favor of her own wild ideas, making her feel like a peer to the child reading.
The illustrations are packed with funny details of animal chaos that keep children engaged as they search for the mess each potential pet leaves behind.
Reach for this book when your child is obsessing over getting a pet or when you want to encourage their imaginative play. While the transition to owning a first animal can be a big life milestone, this story focuses on the delightful 'what-ifs' that happen in a child's mind before the reality of a pet sets in. It follows Emily as she considers increasingly wild and impossible animals, from tigers to giraffes, before settling on a choice that fits her real world. This is a perfect choice for preschool and early elementary children because it validates their big dreams while gently grounding them in the joy of the present. Parents will appreciate the humor and the way the book models creative thinking and patience. It is an excellent tool for normalizing the excitement and occasional indecision that comes with making a big choice, all while maintaining a lighthearted and whimsical tone that makes it a favorite for bedtime reading.