Luna's Green Pet

by Kirsten Pendreigh, Carmen Mok (Illustrator)

Overview

Luna longs for a pet but the apartment building where she and her family live has a very strict NO PETS! policy. Not even goldfish are allowed. While her friends try to help with alternate pet suggestions, none interest Luna. Almost ready to give up, Luna spies in the trash something small, something green, something someone has discarded--a wilted plant. Perfect! Luna names her new pet Stephanie, confident she can nurse the plant back to health. When others question Stephanie's suitability as a pet, Luna's devotion is unwavering. She knows Stephanie is perfect just as she is. But will Luna's love and care be enough to bring Stephanie to full health? And what are those strange bumps growing on her? Brought to life with warm, expressive artwork, this charming story of one young girl's belief, determination, and out-of-the-box thinking is perfect for anyone who has ever wished for a pet, only to be told no. Back matter includes tips on how to grow your own "Stephanie."

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781534112223
Publisher:	Sleeping Bear Press
Publication date:	09/15/2022
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	40
File size:	19 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	6 - 7 Years

About the Author

Kirsten Pendreigh is a poet and children’s author who lives on Canada’s West Coast. Luna’s Green Pet is her debut picture book. Kirsten owns several green pets, including a rambunctious Stephanotis floribunda, which perfumes her whole house when it blooms! To learn more about Kirsten’s writing, visit her at kirstenpendreigh.com and say hello!

Carmen Mok is an award-winning illustrator with a background in art and design. After studying studio art at the University of Waterloo and design at Sheridan College in Canada, she decided to dedicate herself to children’s illustration. She is the illustrator of Grandmother’s Visit, written by Betty Quan, which was selected as the Picture Book Honor title of the 2018–2019 Asian/Pacific American Award, and also made the 2019 short list for the IODE Ontario Jean Throop Book Award. She also illustrated Violet Shrink by Christine Baldacchino, Tough Like Mum by Lana Button, Percy’s Museum by Sara O’Leary, and I Hear You, Forest by Kallie George.

Editorial Reviews

2022-07-13
A child nurtures a houseplant as a beloved pet.

Luna’s red brick apartment building on a tree-lined urban street doesn’t allow pets, so she and two friends brainstorm and reject ideas, like a pet rock and an ant farm. Luna eventually decides to adopt a plant she finds in a trash can. The rest of the story centers, without much drama, on Luna’s activities with Stephanie, which is short for the plant’s scientific name, Stephanotis floribunda. Luna matter-of-factly takes Stephanie for walks in a wagon and reads her bedtime stories—which could inspire children to expand their notion of caring beyond furry animals, family members, and friends. Luna’s deep love for Stephanie may also spur readers to focus less on the flashy perks of a pet, like whether they can do tricks, and more on their love for their pet (fauna or flora). The text is thoughtfully and efficiently used, working fabulously with gentle illustrations, which appear to be rendered in colored pencil. Most importantly, kids growing up in cities and apartment buildings and who, like Luna, can’t keep pets will emerge with some creative ideas about how to find companionship. Backmatter discusses the benefits of houseplants and offers additional background about the Stephanotis plant. Luna is brown-skinned, one of her friends is light-skinned, and the other is darker-skinned. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Blooms quickly and keeps growing on you. (Picture book. 4-6)

Kirkus Reviews