Children Make Terrible Pets

Written by Peter Brown

Narrated by Emily Eiden

Lucy, a young bear, meets a charming little boy in the forest. When she brings him home, her mother cautions her "children make terrible pets." Can Lucy prove her mother wrong?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Weston Woods
• Release date: Jan 1, 2011
• ISBN: 9780545906012

Peter Brown

Peter Brown grew up in Hopewell, New Jersey, where he spent his time imagining and drawing silly characters. He got his B.F.A. in Illustration from Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California. After college Peter moved to Brooklyn, New York and spent several years painting backgrounds for animated TV shows. Peter went on to write and illustrate several books for children, including the Kate Greenaway-nominated Mr Tiger Goes Wild and My Teacher Is a Monster.

Reviews for Children Make Terrible Pets

[lustig-4 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This is a twist on popular tales of children bringing home animals in hopes of keeping them as pets. I do like the use of text bubbles but don't love the story.

[kredlove · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

So funny! Kids love it because it's about them not being good pets. They get such a kick out of it!

[dukefan86 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Cute twist on kids bringing home animals for pets because they're "so cute!"

[kmunsey_2 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Story shows what it would be like if a bear had a child as a pet. The book shows the up and the downs but more importantly shows that every critter animal or human has a family. And you can't take that critter away from their family.

[1avidfan · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is a very cute and funny story where a little bear finds a lost little boy and tries to make a pet of him. Hilarious things happen when she takes him home.

[hart0521 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Great illustration, but word bubbles may be hard for a child to follow. Story is about a bear who find a pet kid and keeps him. The kid runs away and the bear finds him with his family. She is upset, but knows that she cant keep him. Would be a good book to read to a child or have a child read when the lose a pet.

[sarahccl · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Love this book! The illustrations are just priceless. This book had everyone who read it, adult and child alike, laughing out loud. Perfect example of a picture book - where the illustrations tell the full story/round out the words. Lucy Bear finds a little boy in the woods, and decides she wants to keep him as her pet. Her mother is not impressed. Lucy finds out that while children are fun to play with they make terrible pets - they are ruin the furniture and they are hard to house train. Her pet boy eventually runs away, back to his own family. Lucy sees that he is happy with his family and makes the hard decision to leave him there. The last page, where Lucy finds another inappropriate pet is classic! Highly recommended.A good readaloud for older storytimes.

[dtolton93 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book was great. It would be suitable for young readers. They would find it hilarious to see what a child would be like as a pet of a bear. It teaches them that pets are a big responsibility and that they will make messes and get into trouble sometimes. It also teaches the young readers to remember that every living thing has a family somewhere, and that's (more often than not) where they belong, so maybe they will think twice before trying to take a wild "animal" out of its natural habitat.

[hreilly_16 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The concept of this book is just so funny to me. I wanted to read it as soon as I heard the title. Lucille the bear finds a child in the woods and takes it home to be her pet. Her mother warns her that "children make terrible pets" and swears not to help Lucille take care of it. She ignores her mother's warning and learns on her own that taking on a child is more than she bargained for. My favorite part of Peter Brown's books is that he makes the children in his books squeaky. I found this hilarious!

[kirstendher · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

As Lucy Bear was outside dancing, she finds a little boy who likes to "squeak." She takes him back to her mom and asks her mom if she can keep the little boy as a pet. The mother finally agrees, under the conditions that Lucy Bear takes care of him completely, so Lucy Bear agrees. After a while, he gets into trouble and she loses him. When she does find him, she sees him with his own family and leaves his house very sad. At the end of the day she realizes that "children do make terrible pets," and admits that her mother was right.

[crystalrushton · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Children Make Terrible Pets is an absolutely adorable story with a bit of a twist. In this tale, a super cute bear named Lucy finds a pet and brings him home, as many children have. Eventually, Lucy convinces her mother to let her keep her new pet, and name him Squeaker; but, Squeaker is not just any old pet—Squeaker is a little boy! Soon, Lucy discovers that the little boy does not make a very good pet at all. Squeaker makes lots of messes and he is impossible to potty train. Then, Squeaker goes missing and Lucy and her mother go in search to find him. Finally, they find Squeaker back at home with his own family and Lucy realizes it is time to say goodbye to her friend. The illustrations in Children Make Terrible Pets are extremely unique and add some new-age flair to the book. Many of the pages feature wood-like borders and the text is placed in different colored cut-out text-boxes. The drawings of the bears and people are sketched in pencil and look very clean. This story is definitely one to which children can relate, especially those animal lovers that are always bringing pets home (I know I was!), and best of all it presents the classic dilemma with a new twist. All in all, this is a great new picture book from 2010 and I would recommend it for early elementary students.

[nbabyak-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

-Friendly, expressive art style sure to stand out to the children-Humorous depiction of Bernice caring for the child sends a positive message about the importance of responsibility

[sarahbatte · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Funny and cute, its kinda a reverse book, instead of a child finding a pet a pet finds a child. I love the title very eye-catching. About a bear that finds a kid and wants to keep him but his mother worns him that children make bad pets, at first they get along great then problems start to occur.

[karleesampson · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a fantasy book about a young bear who finds a human child in her back yard. The little boy doesn't say anything except, "Squeak!" Lucy, the bear, wants to keep the little boy as a pet. Her mom tells her that "Children make terrible pets." Lucy and the little boy were inseparable. He was impossible to potty train and ruined the furniture. Just when Lucy thought things couldn't get any worse, the squeaker disappeared. She looked for him everywhere, she followed Squeakers scent until she found him with his own family. She knew she could no longer keep him as a pet; Squeaker belongs with his own family. Lucy learned that children make terrible pets.

[abigailadams26 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Lucille Beatrice Bear finds a boy in the woods and decides to adopt him as a pet in this hilarious picture-book from Peter Brown, the author/artist behind such classics as The Curious Garden and My Teacher Is a Monster. Although her mother warns her that children make terrible pets, Lucy persists in keeping Squeaker - so-named because of the squeaking noise he makes - and at first all seems well. But when Squeaker makes trouble, and then disappears, it seems that Lucy's mother's warning was on point...An entertaining inversion of the usual "child wants to adopt wild animal" scenario, Children Make Terrible Pets gently drives home the point that certain creatures (like bears!) are simply not meant to be kept as pets, while also offering an engaging story in its own right. By making the child the pet, Brown allows young reader/listeners to think about what it really means to be separated from one's own natural family and kept by another species. As always with this author/artist's books, the illustrations, created using pencil and cut-paper, are immensely engaging. Recommended to all Peter Brown fans, and to anyone looking for creative and fun stories addressing the issue of responsible pet ownership and interaction with wild creatures.

[tzarate-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Children Make Terrible Pets is a great story about a bear wanting to have a child as a pet but then realizes that a child is not meant to be a pet and sends him back to his family. Very nice story and pictures.

[sjkessel · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Very fun.Plays with perspective.Cautions against trying to adopt a wild animal as a pet.

[dms02 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Clever spin on the age old question "Ahhh Mom, Dad, Can we keep him?". Except this time it is a bear who discovers a child and brings it home and promises to take good care of her new pet. Great ending - especially if you have found yourself convincing a child to let a wild animal go back home to its family.

[tlwood_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Lucy, the bear, finds a little boy in the woods and decides she wants to keep him as a pet. After naming him Squeaker, since that's the only sound he seemed to make, she took him home to her mother as asked if she could keep him as a pet. Things didn't workout the way Lucy had imagined. In the end, Lucy realized it was best for Squeaker to be where she found him, in HIS natural habitat. Children will enjoy the pictures and the interaction between bear and child.

[cheryl_in_cc_nv · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Really a lot of fun, and insightful, too. The retro illustrations are an innovative choice - because there's other stuff that's perfectly modern, like a dishwasher. Love the litterbox. Love the bouncing joy at the OMG moment when the girl bear first spots the child. Love the mom's reaction - You can keep it one condition - you're responsible!

[asomers_8 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

My students were delighted with this story. It produced a lot of giggles as we read about Lucy, the bear's, pet boy.

[ander23_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A twist on the typical "child wants a pet" story. Great illustrations. Very funny. 4 stars.

[madamepince · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

They really do. I'm not quire sure when I"ll read this to the classes, but I'll find a way to fit it in.

[alyson_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This heartwarming and funny book is guaranteed to make you smile. Peter Brown excels at producing art with a retro look, but that in no way appears dated. Last year, Curious Garden was a hit for Brown and Children Make Terrible Pets, em> should be a hit for him as well.

[alelliott · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a twist on the classic stray animal story. Instead of a kid finding a stray animal and begging mom, "Can we keep it?" Lucy the Bear finds a stray boy in the woods and takes him home to be her pet. But she quickly finds out that children like Squeaker (her name for him as he only speaks in squeaks) make terrible pets: you can't potty train them, and they tear apart the furniture. All ends well when Lucy returns Squeaker to his family.What drew me to this book were the illustrations. Done in colored pencil, with construction paper speech balloons, the artwork was cartoonish and funny. The author, who is also the illustrator, does great facial expressions. Kids will be able to relate to Lucy's trials with Squeaker, and will giggle over the idea of being an animal's pet. A fun read for parents and kids alike. For ages 5-9 (or anyone who likes a great picture book).

[briannad84 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Cute and funny story with beautiful illustrations. My son liked it and loved doing the "Squeak" parts!

[lisa_a_hobbs · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Simple, funny, sweet...a story about a young bear who finds a boy in the woods and keeps him as a pet. Of course, she finds out that children can be a lot of fun but don't really make good pets. They tear up the furniture, throw food,track mud everywhere, and are tough to potty train (especially using a litter box). I read this story to 1st, 2nd, and 3rd graders and they loved it. A great read aloud. They're all hoping for a follow up book to find out if elephants make better pets than children.

[satyridae · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I loathed the illustrations. Perhaps loathed isn't strong enough. I was repelled by the illustrations, which struck me as facile, boxy, and overly influenced by the Cartoon Network. The story itself was cute, but the pictures kept getting in my way.

[sullywriter_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Indeed! I'll stick with cats.

[ymcmillion · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This was a good story about a little bear and her pet that happened to be a human. It was a really cute story and I really enjoyed how they had the little bubbles coming from the characters mouth that was speaking. I also enjoyed the dialogue that was included. Overall great fun story.