Kitten Training and Critters, Too!

From School Library Journal PreS-Gr 2--Excellent for new pet owners, these titles cover the importance of training, using a calm tone, repeating commands, rewarding with treats and praise, and stopping the lesson when the animal shows signs of becoming tired or frustrated. On the lower left-hand corner of each left-hand page, the authors include some well-thought out tips and techniques. The top of each left-hand page features a factoid about kittens or puppies. On the facing page, the same sort of information is given about wild animals being trained at Marine World Africa USA in Vallejo, CA. Sometimes all of the text appears on the top of the page, but the factoids and tips are always printed in different typefaces. Full-color photographs appear on each page (pastel backgrounds for puppies and kittens and black ones for the wild animals). It is a stretch sometimes to make the photo relate to the text. Nevertheless, the clear format and excellent-quality photos have a lot of appeal. These titles would be wonderful read-alouds for parents to use with young children before acquiring a pet, as they make it clear that training is serious, necessary, and should be carefully done.