The Best Pet of All

This is my favorite illustrator who paints with a retro style that is fun, colorful, imaginative and really just beautiful. The story is a classic about a little boy who wants to get a dog. Finally, after several refusals from mom- he asks if he can have a dragon. Never thinking it would be possible for the boy to find one, she says, "yes". This stinker of a dragon gets in all kinds of mischief until Mom finally agrees to get a dog to scare the dragon away! Mommy's High Heel Shoes

I received this book as a baby shower gift and we only recently started reading it to our almost 2 year old son. He loves it (although he probably doesn't understand the story) and we love to read it to him because we appreciate the subtle adult humor! The little boy and the dragon are in cahoots together, trying to convince the mom that they should get a dog. Don't overlook the little boy and dragon exchanging thumbs up near the end of the story - hillarious! You'll love reading it and your child/children will love hearing it!

A staid but stylish 1950's setting complements this simple tale of a young boy who wants a dog but winds up with a dragon. Wearing his rolled-up, patched denim overalls, he repeatedly asks his culotted mom for a dog as she does household chores (of course, the father is nowhere in sight). Clearly, she doesn't want the extra work. However, this baby boomer is clever: When he asks his mom if he can have a pet dragon, she replies (thinking that SHE is the clever one)," "If you can find a dragon, you can keep it for a pet." After some searching, he finds a beatnik dragon in a drugstore. The nonchalant dragon, decked out in a porkpie hat and shades, visits the boy's palm-lined suburban home, where he wrecks havoc that few dogs could match. The little green dragon messy, unhelpful, roasts hot dogs in midair, dances to "loud music all night long," eats spaghetti in the bathtub, and then refuses to leave. Boomer boy latches onto another scheme: He realizes that the dragons are scared of dogs (a plot device that one must simply accept), and now even his mom wants one. When Fido arrives, the Dharma dragon grabs his hat and hits the road-no problem for this wanderer--and the boy gets a dog and his mother's agreement that "A dog is a good pet." This is a concise, easily read book, focusing briefly on the mother/son conflict before settling on the figure of the renegade, rebellious dragon. The scenes of bathtub spaghetti swilling and the gravity-defying weenie roast are sure to get laughs, and adults will enjoy illustrator Hanika Wakiyama's soft, vignetted illustrations. She captures the Fifties' with an unencumbered style, showing details like an old TV and period toys without overwhelming the story. Her eye even extends to the colors and designs of the household furnishings. The dragon is not at all scary, and kids and adults with identify with the emotional subtext.

This is the best children's book I have seen in a long time. I found it browsing in a bookstore for a child's birthday - and now I plan to give it as a gift many times over. The story is great and the illustrations are perfect. Bravo to David and Hanako!

I've had a ball reading this book to kids (and to myself). Having trouble convincing Mom to let you have a dog? Well, this little boy has it all figured out. The author has written an upbeat, warm story and the illustrator's additions make the pictures lots of fun to inspect. That is one cool dog substitute this boy invites home. Check it out. Sure to become a favorite at your house.