The TTLG 2011 Picture Book Celebration - Book Sixty

Having recently spent many hours worrying about my sick dog, I think it is appropriate to review a book about pets and what it is like to have a pet. In this book, a young boy discovers that having a pet is not all fun and games, but it is still worth all the work and the worry. He also discovers that there are times when one has to make painful sacrifices to ensure that a pet is happy.

The Snagglegrollop

Daniel Postgate

Illustrated by Nick Price

Picture book

For ages 5 to 7

Scholastic, 2009, 978-0-545-10470-8

   Sam would like to have a pet, but his parents are apposed to the idea. A dog would need walking every day, and a cat would leave fur on the furniture. Then Sam asks if he can have a snagglegrollop, a creature that he just made up. His parents, finding this amusing, agree that Sam can have a snagglegrollop.

   When Sam comes home from school that day, he brings an enormous creature with him. The creature is a snagglegrollop and it has - among other things - a trunk, tusks, horns, and huge pink feet. Sam’s father is rather surprised, but because he said Sam could have a snagglegrollop, he lets him son keep the creature so long as Sam promises to look after it.

   Though it takes a lot of work to care for the snagglegrollop, Sam and his parents become very fond of it. Unfortunately, there are times when the snagglegrollop is sad. Something is wrong, and Sam and his family had no idea what they could do to help their unusual pet.

   This picture book explores the joys that come with pet ownership, even if that pet is a little unusual. It also highlights the idea that even the most peculiar of creatures can get lonely. The need for friendship is universal.

   With its wonderfully colorful illustrations and its loveable monster characters, this is a picture book that will particularly resonate with children who like animals.