If your little one is an animal lover, this book is sure to inspire smiles and great ideas as Isaac learns the fun and responsibility of owning a pet. After his Bubbe gives Isaac his first pets - two goldfish - Isaac shows creativity and good problem solving skills by coming up with the idea of having a zoo in his backyard. Isaac is one of the Alphabet Kids, a group of kids from the Alphabet Afterschool Center who have fun learning about the languages, celebrations, food and music of one another's cultures. The illustrations are high gloss, computer-colored pictures with vibrant, fun color contrasts. The book is also a convenient small size, perfect for outings.
Your child may relate to Isaac's excitement about his new pets and spending a few days under his grandmother's care. When Isaac's grandma asks him what his parents would say about him having all of his friends and their pets over, he says 'yes,' although he is not sure. This is a typical response children give when they are looking forward to something, as patience is certainly not a young virtue. It's a fun activity to have your child name all of the animals for you, including a cat, dog, parrot, turtle, mouse, and fish. When your little one inevitably asks for a pet of his or her own, you can take that opportunity to have a talk about 'responsibility' and how Isaac's friends were not being responsible when they abandoned their pets and ran over to the ice cream truck.
My three year-old friend Sam enjoyed the Yiddish words sprinkled throughout the story. He asked what Matzoh balls were, what Bubbe meant, and quickly adopted the phrase oy into his everday vocabulary. Sam's mother told me that the evening after I read this story to him, he was playing with his large legos, building a tower. When the tower fell over by accident, Sam yelled, "Oy!"
--Audra