Photo-A-Day 2.0 #00476

I received a free review copy of Pets and Their Famous Humans by Ana Gallo and illustrated by Katherine Quinn. Opinions are my own.

When asked if I would like a complimentary copy of Pets and Their Famous Humans I thought about my son Andy. He wants to take care of animals when he grows up and I want him to read more. He loves his pet cat, Torrun, and so I figured that this would be a great book for him to read to learn about other people and their pets. I didn’t realize how much I would learn as well.

I had Andy go through the book and pick out a few pet names that sounded interesting to him and he would read those pages. Then we would go over them together and I would ask him questions. We learned about the famous cats of Ernest Hemingway. I’d say that his cats are pretty famous in their own right at this point and many people have heard about his home in Key West Florida where the descendants of his cats live. But there was so much more to learn.

Did you know that Charles Dickens and Edgar Alan Poe were contemporaries and friends? I do not know why I thought one was much older than the other. But they were friends. Edgar Alan Poe’s most famous poems was inspired by one of Dickens’ pets. That revelation sort of blew my mind.

The book is a great jumping off point to learn more about these people and even had Andy and I searching for and listening to the entirety of a famous poem. The book also has lovely illustrations. Each write up is perfect for a young reader in your household. More information about the book is below. You can pick this book up everywhere. If you are so inclined you an buy the book through our Amazon.com Affiliate link (below)

In Pets and Their Famous Humans by Ana Gallo and illustrated by Katherine Quinn (4/21/20; ISBN: 978-3791374253; Hardcover $17.95; Ages 7-10; 48 pages), a charmingly illustrated collection of pet-related stories, children will find out about some of history’s most important scientists, artists, writers, and musicians and their beloved animals.

Did you know that Mozart’s pet starling was the inspiration for his Piano Concerto No. 17? Or that writer Dorothy Parker loved animals so much she let a pair of alligators swim in her bathtub? These are just a couple of the stories in this delightful and surprising collection that profiles the strong bond between humans and their pets. Some of these stories are touching: Frida Kahlo memorialized her pet deer Granizo in her painting The Wounded Deer. Some are a little quirky: Albert Einstein, convinced that his parrot, Bibo, was sad, told bad jokes to cheer the bird up. Each of these wonderfully entertaining stories is made even more appealing by Katherine Quinn’s captivating illustrations. Rich in detail and reminiscent of folk art, they capture the humor and poignancy of these fascinating pairings. Together these stories and illustrations will create lasting impressions that will help young readers identify historic figures and spark joy in friendships with the animals in their own lives.