In A Pet for Petunia by Paul Schmid (HarperCollins, January 2011), Petunia is determined to get her desired pet, a pet skunk, despite her parent’s advice against it. Of course, no amount of begging works, so Petunia sets out to find her own skunk … with an incredible surprise to Petunia! The book has delightfully simple illustrations – black sketches and a little bit of watercolor that bring Petunia and her environment to life. It’s a perfect illustration style for the simple and amusing story. Older kids could even use it as a silly but simply writing prompt for convincing your own family that you “need” a pet like Petunia does.

What are your favorite picture books about pets?