| Title | : | Big Pet Day |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | - |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9780733620997 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Hardcover |
| Number of Pages | : | 32 |
| Publication | : | First published August 12, 2014 |
Today is Pet Day in Lily's class. All the kids bring in their pets - hermit crabs, parrots, mice, puppies, ferrets and ducks - but Lily brings her dragon. Class smarty-pants Courtney says to Lily that dragons are only in fairy tales so how could she have a dragon? However, when all the pets misbehave in the middle of the all-important pet parade, guess who (or what) saves the day? This gorgeous and funny story about finding your voice is the first collaboration between two of Australia's leading picture book creators.
Big Pet Day Reviews
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‘Everyone is so excited about bringing their pet to school that they don’t notice Lily’s pet isn’t quite like the others.’ The multicultural assortment of children are all caught up in the mayhem of 'bring your pet to school day', they disregard (and even refute) Lilly’s gentle statements about her pet, which are vindicated (not so quietly) in the end.
I was hooked from the first page of this book bursting with activity as children bring their pets to school – a sloth hangs off a boy’s outstretched arm, a girl drags a chook along on a skateboard - and through it all Lily walks with her huge red dragon with a bowler hat – somehow unnoticed by everyone.
Both the text and pictures are a beautiful, kooky combination of the fantastic and the realistic. The text plays up the wacky possibilities of bringing pets to school, and the hilarious personalities and honesty of children. It is striking how the quiet, gentle bond between Lily and her dragon anchors the story through the mayhem that surrounds them.
Gordon’s innovative use of mixed media – collage, sketch, watercolour - gives the book a wacky, yet timeless feel. Each opening is surprising with unconventional elements – sometimes rough sketches on white pages, other times cameos, and several backgrounds are a collage of school papers (grid books, old library cards, ruled pages, handwriting.) Vintage objects and animals are incongruously placed on the pages adding a quizzical, humorous and discovery element to the book. The front and back covers also graphically display these techniques. The effect is all very unconventional but arresting and fun.
With its magical interplay between whimsy and realism, this is a beautiful, rich, fun, book with heart and depth. -
Imaginative, fun and cheeky. Gordon's drawings brings Lily's dragon to full blown life while Shanahan's narrative will keep kids glued to the pages and possibly asking for a ferret or two to complement their own pet inventory. A lovely tale enforcing the notion that seeing may be believing but believing saves the day.
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Beautiful book and story. Loved the animals, the things they got up to and it was a feast for my son to see who had what animal. Lily and her pet dragon had me guessing, and still does for a bit, but it does not matter because a dragon will always win.
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A nice enough book about pet day at school and the importance of imaginary friends. For us, it's a pet tiger (and sometimes a crocodile).
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What fun. I loved the mayhem and mischief.
