Fairy Tale Pets

Fairy Tale Pets by Tracey Corderoy, illustrated by Jorge Martín
 
Bob likes everything neat and tidy, and he has found what sounds like the ideal job: pet-sitting. He and his dog Rex are ready for a gentle stream of hamsters and bunnies. Then Goldilocks arrives with a grumpy Baby Bear, and Bob's carefully organised plan begins to unravel.
 
Soon a golden goose, three billy goats and a troll are adding to the commotion, while more familiar visitors wait in the illustrations to be spotted. Every new arrival brings another comic problem, leaving Bob and Rex to cope with a houseful of fairy-tale creatures behaving very badly.
 
Tracey Corderoy turns well-known stories into a lively ensemble comedy, while Jorge Martín's bright, expressive pictures let children recognise characters, predict trouble and notice jokes before Bob does. The familiar references reward children who know the original tales, but the escalating pet-sitting chaos is funny in its own right.
 
Busy, playful and full of visual surprises, Fairy Tale Pets is especially enjoyable as a shared read-aloud. It offers an inviting route into comparing traditional tales, inventing new fairy-tale crossovers and imagining which storybook creature would be the most impossible pet.