Pets

Books

🌿My Pet Goldfish by Catherine Rayner
In this beautifully-illustrated story, a young girl gets her very own goldfish named Richard who lives in her sister’s aquarium of goldfish.  She learns more about goldfish from her neighbor Sandy (who has a goldfish pond in his backyard) and he learns some new things from her too.  As she gets older Richard outgrows his tank and goes to live in Sandy’s backyard pond, but he still remembers her and swims right up when she visits!  This book includes many additional notes in small print about goldfish and their care.

🌻Fifteen Animals by Sandra Boynton
In this board book we are introduced to the narrator’s 15 pets by name, which starts out fairly normal until you realize that nearly all of them are named Bob (except for the turtle). I love it.

🌻Doggies by Sandra Boynton
Do dogs have accents? This has been a source of discussion in my family as we read Doggies aloud to my nephew and try to do distinctive voices for each dog’s bark. However we read it, it always manages to be loud and enthusiastic.

🌻My First Book of Houseplants by Duopress Labs, illustrated by Asa Gilland
Not every home is a good fit for pets, but many pet-free homes have plants. This cute board book introduces children to the characteristics and care of some common houseplants that may be in their home! The book also walks children through the process of picking out and caring for a new plant.

Caring for Pets by Carron Brown & Vanya Liang
This shine-a-light book puts the spotlight on the different aspects of caring for and choosing a family pet. Most pages focus on cats or dogs, but “small animals,” birds, reptiles, and farm animals are also included. The back of the book elaborates on the more unusual pets (including spiders & insects) as well as microchipping, fostering, adoption, and purchasing.

Some Pets by Angela DiTerlizzi
This fun rhythmic book explores a world of different pets, including dogs, cats, snakes, rabbits, rodents, birds, pigs, horses, goats, lizards, and chickens. I love that this book doesn’t assign any “ick” factor to less conventional pets, which can be surprisingly tricky to find in books. I do wish it was available as a board book like Some Bugs.

Who Needs a Tortoise? by Dave Keane
A puppy-fixated little girl is frustrated when she receives a tortoise for her birthday instead (her dad being very allergic to dogs). She finds different ways to enjoy the company of her tortoise, but her deep love of her new pet is revealed when the tortoise is left in the yard for a moment and goes missing (actually very realistic) and she goes to great lengths to recover her missing pet.

Our Very Own Dog by Amanda McCardie
This cute and informative book tells the story of a family bringing home a new dog named Sophie. They get supplies for her, feed her, teach her things, and take her out for exercise and socializing.  The book includes many additional small notes about dogs and their care  peppered throughout the story as well as a guide to dog body language at the back of the book.

Rrralph! by Lois Ehlert
In this simple and cheeky collage-illustrated Ehlert book, a proud owner talks about their “talking” dog Ralph, who says many words that sound an awful lot like dog barks.

Top Cat by Lois Ehlert
An older cat is frustrated to learn that a new kitten has been added to the house. The older cat scratches and bites the new kitten but eventually acknowledges that the kitten is staying and shows it the ropes of being a cat in the house.

Katie’s Vet Loves Pets by Fran Manushkin
Katie finds a sick kitten outdoors but cannot bring it home until it’s healthy. Her family takes the kitten to the veterinarian. Dr. Wong examines the kitten and sends the kitten–and some medicine–home with Katie where the kitten makes a full recovery. During the story we also encounter a dog, an iguana, and a parrot who also see Dr. Wong.

Creative Art Opportunities

🐹Painting with feathers or whiskers
🐹Collage with feathers
🐹Collage with furry eyelet yarn
🐹Collage with googly eyes
🐹Paint with glitter
🐹Collage with glitter or sequin “scales”

Hands On Experiences

⛅️Stuffed animals of pets
⛅️Veterinarian/doctor kit
⛅️Pet figurines
⛅️Brushes/bathing station
⛅️Decorate a plastic terrarium or aquarium
⛅️Explore toy fish in water
🌿Take an animal for a walk
🌿Meet others’ dogs on a walk
🌿Spot cats in sunny windows in your neighborhood
🌿Visit an aquarium
🌿Visit a pet supply store or local fish store

Songs to Learn and Sing

“Warm Kitty“ – Based on a Polish lullaby about a kitten, this song has been published in several versions (this one is from 1993)

Warm kitty, soft kitty
Little ball of fur.
Sleepy kitty, happy kitty,
Purr purr purr

“B-I-N-G-O”

There was a farmer, had a dog
And Bingo was his name-o!
B-I-N-G-O, B-I-N-G-O, B-I-N-G-O
And Bingo was his name-o!

There was a farmer, had a dog
And Bingo was his name-o!
– I-N-G-O, – I-N-G-O, – I-N-G-O
And Bingo was his name-o!

(continue clapping for each letter until it’s just five claps)

“My Dog” – Charlie Hope

“Oh Where Oh Where Has My Little Dog Gone?”

Oh where, oh where has my little dog gone?
Oh where, oh where can he be?
With his tail cut short and his ears cut long
Oh where or where can he be?

Oh where, oh where, has my little cat gone?
Oh where, oh where can she be?
With her ears cut short and her tail cut long
Oh where, oh where can she be?’

“Pussy Cat Pussy Cat Where Have You Been?”

NIYN – Pets on Spotify
All playlists are works in progress and are actively curated when I have a unit in play or preparation, so new songs may appear and old songs may be removed if they don’t suit my designs.