Annie and the Wild Animals

Picture Book
Title: Annie and the Wild Animals
Author/Illustrator: Jan Brett
Age Level: 4-8
Rating: 3 out of 5

Summary
This book follows the story of Annie, who's cat, Taffy, has run away and Annie misses her very much.  She decides to put corn cakes at the edge of the forest to try and find a new animal that she could make her pet.  A moose, a wildcat, and a bear came but these animals were all too big and wild for her to have as pets and when she thought she was never going to get a new pet, Taffy comes home and shows Annie that she only left because she was having kittens.

Opinion
I thought that the illustrations in this book were very interesting and ones that I have never seen before.  Each page is bordered in a very unique and expressive way that subtly foreshadow what is going to happen next in the plot.  I did not pick up on the significance of these borders until I read this book a second time but it is something that I think is very creative and adds depth to the story.  I also think that the illustrations really added to the rustic feel that the story was trying to show with dull but variety of color and the portrayal of life living in a small cottage in the wilderness. The story line is something that I think children will appreciate because it deals with the relationship between a child and their pet and the hardship one goes through when a pet runs away or is lost.  The bright side of the story where Taffy comes home shows children that if they do have a pet that is missing that they should never lose hope and that there may be other animals that can be great pets as well.  This book also gives children a good description of different animals one can find in the forest as well as the idea that "wild" animals should not be kept as pets but live better in their natural environment.

I think that this book would be a good book to keep in the classroom library when I am a future teacher because it is a story that I think children will love to read and when I read this to my child study student she seemed to take a lot of interest to the character in the story and her determination to find a new pet.  Discussing with students the different environments that animals live in and if certain animals should be kept as pets is something that I would consider with this book, however, I do not think I would use this book in any classroom activity, but it still is a fun book to have on hand for students!