Picture Book Review: Can I Keep It?

We received this book in exchange for an honest review.

Review Date: July 11th, 2019

Written By: Lisa Jobe

Cover Copy

A young boy is on a mission to find the perfect pet. But as his mom points out that birds belong in the sky and frogs belong in the pond, he starts to wonder: is there an animal that belongs right there with him?

Lovely illustrations and dialogue play off each other with a sly sense of humor as the boy learns to walk in someone else’s shoes—or paws.

Review

This is a really cute story where the kid is clearly trying to use kid-logic loopholes to acquire a pet, but his mom won’t let him get away with it. He keeps finding ways to trap wildlife and then ask his mom if he can keep the pet “if it follows me home” which of course he would only pretend that it does. His mom points out that if he were the animal her son has caught, where would he want to live? This makes the boy pause and then look elsewhere for another animal he can trap. This scenario happens enough times that the boy starts to change his way of thinking. And rather than just trap an animal and hope he can keep it, he wonders what animal would be happiest with him, which leads him to the cat. It’s very adorable. Much kitty cuddling at the end, which we as a kitty cuddling family, approve of!

The artwork is really interesting. In some areas it looks like it is layered with cut papers, and in some places it looks drawn, while in others it has the feel of watercolor. It’s a dynamic visual and goes really well with the tone of the book.

Kid Ratings

• Font Readability: 10/10
• Kid Engagement: 8/10
• Mommy Engagement: 8/10