The Animal Rescue Store

This is one of the sweetest, most clever kids' books I've read in a long time -- made especially great by the fact that it is as amusing to me as it is to my 3-year-olds. For them, there are the wonderful illustrations, and the cacophony of animals and their sounds. For me, there is the quirky beauty and rhythm of the language. "The ferret's just/Fuzz with feet./His nose is a raisin/That sqishes and squeezes./I'd take him home /But I think he'll causes sneezes. Ahchoo Ahchoo Ahchoo!) ..and the thing is, it's just damn funny. In talking about the need to save and value animals of all types, it has a Message, but doesn't hit you over the head...and it's also touching without being cloying. How often can you say that about a kid's book? By the way, I think this book is fine for kids 3 and above. The younger ones may not entirely appreciate the book's subtleties, but they'll love it anyway -- particularly if you're good at replicating the animal sounds.