Sign in with Facebook
Loading...
The Big Pets
by
Lane Smith
You've never seen pets like these before!
An enormous cat that can fly to the stars
A hamster big enough to saddle up and ride
A snake that can twist itself into a jungle gym!
An enormous cat that can fly to the stars
A hamster big enough to saddle up and ride
A snake that can twist itself into a jungle gym!
Paperback, 32 pages
Published
September 1st 1993
by Puffin
(first published March 1st 1991)
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
This book is not yet featured on Listopia.
Add this book to your favorite list »
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
145)
The Big Pets by Lane Smith is a story about a little girl and her journey with her big pet cat. They travel through the stars and see other children with their big pets. For example, there was a land of snakes, where the children would roll and tumble with them. The story brings a child's imagination to life as they dream. What child wouldn't want to take their pet on a journey where the pet is big instead of them? Smith's story and illustrations are simple, but it only adds to the fact that som...more
This book is good for teaching kids that we all have differences; differences in what we prefer, like, love, have fun doing, etc. and that those differences are okay to have. We are not all the same, so children should not expect their peers to like the same things as them and become disappointed or mean in response. You could also have student connect with one another by talking about what pets they may have or what pet they would like to have. This could build on the community in the classroom...more
I thought The Big Pets was a cute fantasy story, but I have a feeling that elementary would enjoy another fantasy story over this one. I enjoyed reading about how the little girl met other little kids with their “big” pets throughout each destination they had. Although I believe children would like to hear and see a different fantasy story, this book could keep children interested by the “big” pets. The pictures illustrate a wide variety of cats, dogs, snakes, and hamsters. This book was also a...more
The cover looks interesting and whimsical featuring a giant cat and a little girl hanging with the stars on a string. The illustrations are framed (viewing through a window) and look like they are painted which make them appear very dream-like. Sometimes the cat breaks the frame or he is pictured outside the frame which adds even more interest to the images. The text is imaginative with words like “milk pool” and “night children.” It looks like a fun world where children play with their big pets...more
Sep 11, 2012
Katie O'brien
added it
This is another book I never read as a kid but it is about a little girl who goes on an adventure with her big pet cat. While she's exploring she sees other children with their big pets. This book shows children that everyone is different and that our differences make us special and unique. This book promotes individuality and can be incorporated in the classroom but celebrating student's differences. The pictures are also cute and engaging, overall I think this is a great book for children.
An earlier Smith offering wherein a young girl goes out by night on her giant cat and meets other children with their giant pets. Some questions posed by Smith and the illustrations about why the children's pets opt to come to this place instead of others suggested that might be better suited for that particular animal. I just want to cut out some of these pictures and frame them for some room that could use the creativity and whimsy generated by Smith's work.
Sep 13, 2012
Rachael
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Shelves:
1st-grade,
adjectives,
animals,
cats,
ece-3601,
fantasy,
imagination,
0-grade-kindergarten,
read-as-a-writer
A wonderful introduction to a writing lesson focused on dreams and imaginative writing. Perfect for the students who are passionate about their pets and connecting them to literacy through personal interests.
"I chose to read this book to you today because I love my pets and this book made me day dream about what it would be like to ride on the back of my cat to a different land" "If you could travel with your pet, where do you think you would go?"
"I chose to read this book to you today because I love my pets and this book made me day dream about what it would be like to ride on the back of my cat to a different land" "If you could travel with your pet, where do you think you would go?"
Un pequeño libro sobre grandes mascotas. Lo leí muchas veces en mi niñez, y ayer lo encontré arrumbado por ahí, así que lo releí. Hasta la fecha me sigo identificando con el niño que se sentaba a la orilla del río a contemplarlo, junto con su mascota, sin hacer otra cosa.
Un pequeño libro que transmite muchos prejuicios a los cuales deberíamos de poner más atención.
Un pequeño libro que transmite muchos prejuicios a los cuales deberíamos de poner más atención.
Nov 26, 2011
Emily
rated it
2 of 5 stars
Shelves:
animals,
bedtime,
cats,
children,
dogs,
fantasy,
night,
picture-book,
playing,
young-readers,
medium-readers,
hamsters,
snakes,
dreaming,
cricket
The illustrations were great and very whimsical, but the story itself didn't really impress me much. It was rather boring to be completely honest. I think children mya like it for the illustrations and the fact that it contains animals.
If I were to use this in the classroom, I would use it when discussing family pets or dreams.
If I were to use this in the classroom, I would use it when discussing family pets or dreams.
Fictional piece with interesting illustrations but a fairly thin/boring plot. I don't see this being very useful in a lesson unless you were talking about family pets and you asked "Does your pet like to do any of these things?" "What else does your pet like to do?" as writing prompts.
Even though this story doesn't seem to have much of a point or overall plot I still think its an entertaining book that young students might find interesting. It initiates imagination and may be relate-able to those students who have pets.
The Big Pets is about a small girl who travel to different places are almost plains on her big cat. The first place is a place where they can swim in and drink milk called the milky way. In the different plains they see different animals and other children playing. There are all different types of animals, such as dogs, snakes and crickets. They play with a small boy on a big dog in the bone gardens. After playing in the different places they then go home to sleep in a big basket that fits them...more
An interesting story that takes the reader into a surreal dream world. There is a reversal of roles. The pets are larger than life and the children follow the pets to animal fantasy lands.
You've never seen pets like these before!
An enormous cat that can fly to the stars
A hamster big enough to saddle up and ride
A snake that can twist itself into a jungle gym!
An enormous cat that can fly to the stars
A hamster big enough to saddle up and ride
A snake that can twist itself into a jungle gym!
This book are big illustations. It is good to read to allow the children to use their imaginations. I want to read this then have them write a story using a big pet they would like to have.
I had a a hard time connecting with this book, But if i had to pull it it would be for science when learning about the solar system since it talks about the milky way.
This book is absolutely absurd but at the same time so interesting because a cat flys and all the other fun stuff in between the lines.
This is a good book to read for a Read Aloud. I think that younger children will find this book to be funny and engaging.
This book was okay. It definately encourages the use of one's imagination and I liked the illustrations.
Large pets and their owners spend evenings playing together in their favorite places.
One of my favorite childhood books. The illustrations are my favorite part- so whimsical.
I thought the illustrations were great but the story was just okay. You see the animals through windows and it relates to the sky very well.
Great illustrations but a very monotonous plot. No real educational value come from this book. If anything, this would be used to transition into daily writing.
It was creative but not too memorable. I had a hard time keeping reading.
Very different but Lane Smith does different and different is good.
Surreal landscapes with roaming giant animals and night children.
The girl was small and the cat was big.
The girl was small and the cat was big.
It wasn't one of his better stories.
One of my favorite illustrators!
I was not impressed with this book. The story meandered around and didn't seem to have much of a purpose or a plot. The illustrations were weird, but not in an endearing way. I thought this book needed help - it was lacking something that would have made it decent. I don't have many books written by Lane Smith I don't like, but this is one of them.
*Taken from my book reviews blog: http://reviewsatmse.blogspot.com/2010...
*Taken from my book reviews blog: http://reviewsatmse.blogspot.com/2010...
I'm not usually a big fan of straight-up fantasy in picture books, but this was a gorgeous story about a young girl who explores the world of giant pets with her giant cat. Beautiful pictures and sensory writing.
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
Smith was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, but moved to Corona, California at a young age. He spent summers in Tulsa, however, and cites experiences there as inspirations for his work, saying that "[o]nce you've seen a 100-foot cement buffalo on top of a donut-stand (sic) in the middle of nowhere, you're never the same."
He studied art in college at the encouragement of his high school art teacher, helping...more
More about Lane Smith...
He studied art in college at the encouragement of his high school art teacher, helping...more
Share This Book
No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »
