The Best Pet of All is a cute story about a little boy who when his mother refuses to allow him to adopt a dog, he convinces her to get a pet dragon. The dragon proceeds to wreck the house and be a nuisance until mom realizes a pet dog would be better than a dragon. I enjoyed the humor in this book, we see all the ways a pet dragon may be problematic. The young boy, we are not told his name, sort of tricks his mother into seeing that their lives would benefit from the dog. I also enjoyed the illustrations, showing off the boy and dragon's silly antics. I think that young readers will find this to be a funny and enjoyable book. ( )

Too fun.  Of course, one interpretation is that the dragon (not dinosaur, as the thumbnail of the cover led me to believe) is the naughty part of the child, and he invents the dragon as a tool to con/ manipulate mom into getting a dog.  And, of course, a good mom isn't going to give in just because the child keeps asking.  But gosh the book is cute anyway.  I adore the pictures, they remind me of some of the best Little Golden Books. ( )

A child who REALLY wants something, will find an inventive way around any argument a parent presents against whatever it is the child wants.

“On Monday I asked my mother if I could have a dog.” Thus begins one boy’s quest to get his dream pet. But his mother refuses again and again. A dog is too messy or too loud. So the boy asks for a dragon. Mom says if he can find one, he can have one. After searching in the park, on the beach, even at the zoo, he finds the dragon in the drugstore, “wearing dark glasses and a hat.”

The story will delight any child, or those of us who have been children. Oh, I remember the countless circular arguments and the feeling of triumph when I finally wore my parents down! The illustrations are wonderful, with a nostalgic 1950-60s color palette and design (the brilliance of which is lost on children, but will resonate with adults “of a certain age” and fans of “Leave It to Beaver”). ( )

The Best Pet of All begins with a little boy begging his mother for a dog. He really wants a pet. She keeps denying him and telling him no because dogs are too messy and loud. Finally he gets the idea to ask her if he could have a dragon as a pet. She says "if you can find a dragon, you can have a dragon as a pet". He looks everywhere for a dragon, he goes to the beach, the woods, and finally he finds a dragon in the city. He takes the dragon home with him but the dragon doesn't like to clean up after himself or conform to rules. The mother really doesn't like that the dragon is at the house. She tells him to leave but he refuses. The little boy then tells his mother that the way to get dragons away is by getting a dog because dogs scare dragons. The mother agrees and the little boy puts up a sign that says "dog wanted". The next moment they get a knock at the door and it's a dog. The dog scares the dragon away and the dragon flies away. In the end, the little boy says "dogs are the best pets of all" The story is ironic because the mother didn't want the dog in the first place but by the end she warms up to the idea because the dragon is worse than a dog. The illustrations were really cute and exciting. I loved how it took me through the book.

Dragon v.Dog Who will be the best pet of all? ( )