View source for Melissa's Octopus and other Unsuitable Pets by Charlotte Voake

{{infobox2
|title=Melissa's Octopus and other Unsuitable Pets
|author=Charlotte Voake
|reviewer=Rachael Spencer
|genre=For Sharing
|rating=4.5
|buy=Yes
|borrow=Yes
|isbn=978-1406353006
|pages=32
|publisher=Walker Books
|date=October 2014
|aznuk=1406353000
|aznus=1406353000
|cover=1406353000
|website=
|video=
|summary=Melissa has an octopus, but he does make a terrible mess in the bathroom. Arthur has a warthog, but it won't do anything he asks. What other unsuitable pets are hidden in the pages of this book? You'll just have to get hold of a copy to find out.
}}
Melissa has a pet octopus. He’s splendid, but not exactly the most suitable of pets. But what other unsuitable pets do Melissa’s friends have, and which is the most unsuitable of all? 

This book’s illustrations are almost reminiscent of [[:Category:Quentin Blake|Quentin Blake]], very free and loose but with plenty of detail. Each character and creature has bags of personality and humour, with each line in the drawings adding extra nuances to the feeling of the book as a whole. 

I really like the way this book is written, it is constructed with short sentences, but not overly simplified in terms of dulling down to its audience. It has a wonderful collection of animals, from elephants, to moles, and onto chameleons with plenty in between, and the crocodile at the end of the book (not meaning to give too much away!) is used really well to build the suspense, making it an excellent read with excitable kids. 

I always think that it’s a good start when preschool books work in sections like this one; each two pages dealing with a new friend and their unsuitable pet. In a nice touch, all the different friends and pages tie together at the end, giving the whole book a sense of cohesion which works well.   

When looking for books suitable for a story time, I’d say that this one is pretty much perfect. Unique and striking images paired with perfectly picked prose make for a thoroughly entertaining read, and there’s never a time when animals won’t be a popular pick with a preschool audience looking for some more creatures to run rampant through their imaginations. So get ready to stamp, snap and sniff your way through this charming book which is I think is a step apart from a lot of its competition.

If this book is your bag, then I think [[The Slightly Annoying Elephant by David Walliams and Tony Ross]] would be right down your street.

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