Children's Summer Reads for the Pet Lover

I am the proud co-caretaker of two wacky pets – one cat, Sandy, who eats five times a day but weighs 5lbs. and one dog, Taylor, who would eat the cat if she smelled like bacon and who weighs a whopping 75 lbs. They both travel indoors and outdoors with ease as long as the magic wood with windows moves.
What if they did not get along, though? Would our house turn into a war zone like in “Dog vs. Cat” by Chris Gall? Mr. and Mrs. Button go out on separate chores around town and come back with respective pets in this picture book. Dog represents Mr. Button’s choice and Cat acknowledges Mrs. Button as servant.
Unfortunately, Dog and Cat must share the same room in the house and it soon becomes a hassle for Cat is a clean freak and Dog is a slob. Battle lines are drawn and walls are built to separate the two, but to no avail. Both lose out when another pet with human vocal chords moves in.
What would I think if my slim Sandy turned into a 20 lb. cat in a month? “Is that My Cat?” by Jonathan Allen has such a cat with fluctuating weight issues. She is now too slow to chase mice. Her tree skills are rapidly diminishing. She can no longer fit through the cat flap. This cat has gone from “ready to play” straight to nap. Allen’s picture book explains with a surprise ending.
Thank goodness we got Taylor as an adult dog who was no longer in the teething stage. “Shoe Dog” by Megan McDonald with illustrations by Katherine Tillotson has such a little dog who is in full-fledged teethe. Every shoe brought in the house soon leaves in the trash can. Shoe Dog thinks his name is Bad Dog. How will he ever get to the “Land of Upstairs?”
Matilda’s cat would also like to be in the “land of upstairs,” but Matilda will have none of that. Matilda tries activity after activity with her cat and nothing seems to work. It is a long list that slowly gets marked through as it is determined that Matilda’s cat really likes to nap in the new picture book by Emily Gravett titled “Matilda’s Cat.”
Fred has the opposite problem. He may be allowed in the “land of upstairs,” but he takes advantage of the situation. Same with our Taylor as the last walk for the night sees her rolling in something dead or jumping in a watery ditch. “Time for Bed, Fred!” by Yasmeen Ismail shows Fred rolling in mud before lights out. Bedtime just turned into bath time for both Fred and Taylor.
Shout out to all those people associated with Human Societies in Tate, Panola, DeSoto, Lafayette, and Tunica. You guys do an outstanding job!
– Maggie Moran is director of learning resources for Northwest Community College. She can be contacted via email at mmoran@northwestms.edu.