My Pet Feet

by Josh Funk, Billy Yong (Illustrator)

When the letter R suddenly vanishes, a whole town goes upside-down in this side-splitting picture book of alphabet chaos that’s Can I Be Your Dog? meets P Is for Pterodactyl .

A little girl wakes up one day to find that R , a vital piece of the alphabet, has vanished! Suddenly, she has pet feet instead of a ferret . Flocks of cows replace crows flying in the sky. Giant shoes (not shores!) live on the sandy beaches of her town.

What could have happened to the eighteenth letter of the alphabet? Did it get lost—or stolen? One way or another, the town needs to be saved!

Genres: Picture Books, Humor, Childrens, Fiction, Mystery, Storytime, Animals

48 pages, Hardcover

First published August 23, 2022

About the author

Josh Funk is the author of the Lady Pancake & Sir French Toast series, the How to Code with Pearl and Pascal series, Dear Unicorn, Dear Dragon, My Pet Feet, the It's Not a Fairy Tale series, Lost in the Library and more. His books have sold more than half a million copies worldwide and been translated into a dozen languages.

New in 2026: A Celebration of You (3.17) and The Dino Door (5.5).

Josh grew up in New England and studied Computer Science in school. Today, he still lives in New England and when not writing Java code or Python scripts, he drinks Java coffee and writes manuscripts. Since the fall of 2015, Josh has presented (or virtually presented) at over 950 schools, classrooms, and libraries.

Josh is terrible at writing bios, so please help fill in the blanks. Josh enjoys _______ during ________ and has always loved __________. He has played ____________ since age __ and his biggest fear in life is being eaten by a __________.

For more about Josh Funk, visit joshfunkbooks.com and at @joshfunkbooks on socials.

Reviews

[Jeremy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is pure genius. The letter R has gone missing in this world and a little girl is now left with a pet FEET instead of a Ferret. As she tries to figure out what has happened, she has to navigate gassy fields, a flock of cows, and even worse--her best friend is acting more like a fiend!

[Melanie Dulaney · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely love this imaginative book! Can you fathom the 18th symbol in the alphabet just going poof? Our female lead awakens one day and finds that the alphabet on the wall is incomplete and a loved pet now has big feet and doesn’t go by the same name. Kids are zipping by in go-cats, there are cabs scuttling on the beach, and the news is spouting all the latest spots events. Not a single 18th symbol any place in this book! Billy Yong made the text come alive digitally and while not all young book fans will fully “get” the fun, the silliness is still obvious. A must-have for book collections in homes and schools that focus on ages 4-8.

(Whew. It’s difficult doing a book summary without using that 18th symbol!)

Thanks for sending me a signed copy of this funny bone tickling book, Josh Funk!

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Josh Funk has hit it out of the park again with his new book, My Pet Feet. A hilarious look at what happens when a letter from the alphabet goes missing. This picture book will delight readers of all ages, leaving them in stitches with Josh's masterful play on words. It is funny and creative, leaving the reader wondering and hoping for a sequel. Thank you to Josh and Edelweiss for an early copy.

[Karina Brea · Rating 4 out of 5]

read this book for our schools book March madness! It was so cute and very creative! I love going through it and trying to decode the pictures with and without the missing letter. silly story line to solve the problem as well! I think I wouldn’t loved it when I was younger.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fabulous. An adorable young girl wakes to find that her pet ferret has become a pair of furry feet - and the world has gone a little silly without the letter R! Crows become Cows, a friend becomes a fiend, crabs become cabs. Observant readers will notice the entire text is also without Rs, leading to some really great vocabulary words! The illustrations are fantastic, and the Rs are finally recovered in as silly a place as you can imagine, restoring some sense to the world. Great for lower elementary students.

[Gabrielle Stoller · Rating 1 out of 5]

Yep. Nope. Too long. Too annoying.

It was funny, all of the "r's" missing from words. But personally, I found it too obnoxious.

[Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARCQuest: Book 5

A cute, fun book that doubles as a game of playing with vocabula- uhh... vocab.

[Nadina · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was definitely cute. I liked the concept. I liked that all the altered words were in a different color. The illustrations were amusing and fitting. It was an easy read. Young elementary school kids would definitely love the book, and perhaps older preschoolers too.

[Sarah Copeland · Rating 5 out of 5]

A (5 years old):

This book was so funny.
I like that because a letter was missing it was missing from all the words.

[Maeve · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a fun way to teach kids the importance of letters!

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

When the letter R suddenly goes missing, a little girl has to figure out where it went, or else run the risk of having pet feet instead of a pet ferret. There are also a slew of other mishaps that a missing letter R might cause you to encounter... such as a galloping hose instead of a horse, a flock of cows instead of crows, and a babbling book instead of brook just to name a few.

I can't even imagine the mental gymnastics that had to occur in order to write a book with no Rs, but Josh Funk manages to make mental gymnastics fun and entertaining. This book is no doubt going to be an uproarious read aloud favorite with groups of kids.

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Funk brings his humorous take on life to this story of a missing letter. "R" has disappeared from the alphabet and readers see the confusion this brings. I appreciate the changes one letter can bring to so many items. Readers see this young girl experience life in her town as words change everywhere. The thieves will make readers laugh and the twist ending will also be appreciated.
The illustrations are humorous and colorful and help capture the chaos.
Great book to emphasize how important all of the alphabet is.

[Angie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Josh's books keep getting better and better and I think this one is now my favorite! Fantastically fun story and rhymes. Unexpected events and totally snort, I mean laugh, out loud funny! I also absolutely love the illustrations! The silly details (looking at you Moe!) and the inclusive ones (bedtime bonnet) make this book extra amazing! Thank you Josh and Edelweiss+ for the advance copy to read and review!

[Molly Cluff (Library!) · Rating 4 out of 5]

A funny book about a world where the letter R is missing. Crabs become cabs, go-carts become go-cats, and all sorts of zany switches. It took me a second to understand the premise in the first few pages because the POV character can't use the letter R to explain the situation (that they are missing Rs), but once I understood it was pretty funny. In the end it turns out the pirates stole all the "Arrrghs" to hoard to themselves.

[Carol Gordon Ekster · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a clever concept. The letter R is lost. What happens when you can't use the letter R...well you get some very funny results. Instead of a pet ferret, you get pet feet, cows instead of crows, etc. And the humor flows with this creative idea and great illustrations. Another winning picture book from Josh Funk!

[Baby Bookworm · Rating 5 out of 5]

This review was originally written for The Baby Bookworm. Visit us for new picture books reviews daily!

Hello, friends! Our book today is My Pet Feet by Josh Funk and Billy Yong, a delightfully creative title that poses the question: what would happen if the letter R simply… disappeared?

Our unnamed child narrator wakes up one morning, ready to feed their pet, Doodles, when they’re greeted with a surprise: overnight, their pet ferret has become pet FEET! Upon further investigation, it seems that the letter R has disappeared completely from their town: their friend Lucas has become a fiend, local dogs are baking instead of barking, and when Doodles and the child try to take shelter from attacking cows, they can’t get in the town hall door because… well, you can guess. Exasperated with the situation, the child exclaims that she doesn’t want to have pet feet, inadvertently hurting Doodles’s feelings. The pet feet runs off, and the child gives chase; will they reconcile in time to solve the mystery of the missing R’s?

Creative and entertaining wordplay. Funk and Yong invite readers to consider the importance of each letter in the alphabet, while balancing humor and heart to tell a unique story with some wonderful twists and turns. Author Funk does a commendable job of building the premise while also refraining from the use of any words that use the letter R until the climax of the story, giving the story an amusing meta layer. Illustrator Yong populates the R-less world with some wonderful sight gags that prompt the audience to guess where the missing letter Rs might be (a personal favorite are the “ats”, @-shaped rodents with a taste for bagels). The length is perfect for a storytime, and JJ absolutely loved the wordplay and silly premise. Overall, this is a great way to explore the importance of word construction and letters while also having a few laughs, and we absolutely recommend it – Baby Bookworm approved!

(Note: A copy of this book was provided to The Baby Bookworm by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.)

Be sure to check out The Baby Bookworm for more reviews!

[Margaret]

Over the years most of us will enjoy sharing our lives with a pet. Their companionship is invaluable, even though most of them cannot speak our language. In fact some of the most peculiar pets are not even alive. In 1975, Gary Dahl subsequently became a millionaire with his introduction and invention of the Pet Rock. Cleverly packaged with instructions, it was an instant phenomenon. In the early 1980s another kind of pet, this one a living plant, skyrocketed to fame. Chia Pets are still being produced today thanks to Joe Pedott and his company.

Regardless of the kind of pet in your life, you probably would be as shocked as the protagonist in this story when she wakes one morning. My Pet Feet (Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers, August 23, 2022) written by Josh Funk with illustrations by debut picture artist Billy Yong is an alphabetical quest. Through a laugh-out-loud narrative with equally funny images, we journey to right a wrong realizing we need the total twenty-six member team.

My full recommendation https://librariansquest.blogspot.com/...

[Our Weekend Is Booked · Rating 5 out of 5]

Josh Funk is known for creating engaging stories that capture a child's attention. He certainly did that in his newest book My Pet Feet. The letter R is missing and chaos ensues. In the search for the letter R, we see how taking away one letter changes everything. A pet ferret becomes a pet feet, a grassy field becomes a gassy field, and a flock of crows becomes a flock of cows. My son's personal favorite was a door that turned into doo. The illustration of that had us giggling.

The illustrations by Billy Yong are so fun and creative. On each page, there are so many details that illustrate what might happen if the letter R is missing. Each time I read this book, I noticed a new detail.

The little girl finally finds the letter R and things are set right or are they? The ending has me wondering if we will see another book about a different missing letter. I am eager to see what Josh Funk does next.

This review first appeared on YA Book Central and can be found here https://www.yabookscentral.com/my-pet...

[Anitra Rowe Schulte · Rating 5 out of 5]

"My Pet Feet" is a picture book about the trouble created for a girl, her pet and their community, when the letter "R" disappears from the alphabet. The girl wakes to find the "R" missing from her alphabet wall and her pet "ferret" Doodles reduced to "feet." Hilarious illustrations depict worried Doodles, whose body proportions have evolved to simply a face and a large pair of white and gray tootsies. The girl goes out in search of help, only to find "go-cats" (instead of "go-carts") and a galloping "hose" (instead of "horse"). Page after page reflect the comical chaos brought about by the missing "Rs." A quest ensues, which leads the girl and Doodles to the location of the missing letters. "My Pet Feet" is full of fun and a phonics game, too, which encourages young readers to dissect each mixed-up word and determine where things went awry.

[Rayna Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Josh Funk has done it again! This smartly written story is for little kids and grown up kids alike. Readers follow a young protagonist as she suddenly enters a world with no R's! Cabs fill the beach! She runs down to the end of a pie! They could not get through the doo! This book made me laugh out loud!

Imagine a world with no R's? What a great conversation to have with readers, as they create their own world! This book will engage readers in dialogue about what is really happening, letting the imagination run wild! There are wonderful writing activities for the elementary classroom as students can create a story leaving out a letter, until the letter is found!

This is a must read to have in classrooms, homes, and libraries!

[Raven Black · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I am not saying OMG THIS IS THE BEST BOOK EVER, I do enjoy the concept and presentation. My "not a five" is because the fact certain words do not flow easy when the letter R is missing and that would make it for a slightly difficult read-out-loud. And the ending was obvious and not necessarily a needed twist. Otherwise, the crazy and fun adventures of one girl and her pet feet... I mean ferret... endure when they hunt down the missing letter of the alphabet is a delight and a good book for you and your child, grandchild and school library.

[Angie Counsell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute book about a girl whose world has been turned upside down by the theft of all the letter R's. Her pet ferret turned into feet, etc. She works her way through the town and through her day to find that a group of pirates stole all of the letter R's. This is a cute book and would be fun to use in a story time or silly song and dance program. Most of the book uses words that DON'T have the letter R in it, which is a great way to expand vocabulary and talk about synonyms and how to get your point across while having limitations. Fun Book!

[Mizzy Mint · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is so silly. I didn't realize the ferret wasn't just covering the R's, but that they were missing. The book is a silly story about a little girl trying to find what happened to the 18th letter of the alphabet. She passes by an auto shop that also fixes ties, visits the pie down by the sea shoe and the scuttling cabs with their claws. It is a very cloudy with a chance of meatballs style humor book. It also ends with discovering where the R's ran off too and introducing a possible next story, what happened to the letter Z?!

[Nicole Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

When our hero wakes up in the morning, she notices something odd with her pet ferret. Not only can she not say "ferret" or any words with a "r", all the things with a "r" in it have turned into words without an "r". This makes the world silly but also upsetting for her pet, so she must figure out how to correct the world. This book is a celebration of words, spelling, and silliness. Great for teaching kids how one little letter can change the meaning of a word and world.

[Kelly]

This book was so well done. Josh Funk is great at wordplay, and he does an amazing job avoiding words with the letter r since it has gone missing. But then he finds words with r that are obvious enough (although I thought Taco Caves was a good name for a restaurant) to use with illustrations. I think this would work great with 2nd-3rd grade. It has to be old enough where they'd catch on to what's going on.

[Ashley S · Rating 5 out of 5]

Missing Rs throughout this book make it an entertaining read, not knowing what silliness is awaiting the reader. I do think it might be best for older picture book readers as my 4yo didn't quite get all the word play. I think talking about the illustrations makes this reading experience even better. It's still a fun quest figuring out with happened to the Rs, which is a clever reveal in the end. What a challenge to write a whole book with no Rs!

[Bethany · Rating 5 out of 5]

The little girl in the story wakes up to discover that her pet ferret is missing the Rs and has become pet FEET! While trying to find a solution, she realizes that this is happening all over town. This was a cute book and the illustrations are so vibrant- I loved all the designs of things missing Rs (so imaginative!) This would be a good read-aloud book for kids, especially if you're studying the alphabet!

[Mother Goose Librarian · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a laugh out loud funny book! Funk’s amazing storytelling and word play, accompanied by Young’s clever, bright, and bold illustrations will have readers laughing and trying to solve the word play puzzlers. One morning a girl awakens to find that her pet ferret has turned into pet feet. What happened to her pet ferret? She soon realizes that the alphabet is missing the letter R. Go on an adventure with her to find the letter R. Highly recommended.

[Lynn Davidson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a clever way of showing how all the letters in our alphabet are needed. A child was about to feed her ferret when she realized she couldn't use the letter R, which made her pet ferret into pet feet! The letter R was missing from the alphabet, and everything that needed an R became something else. Bread became bead, crows became cows, go-carts became go-cats ... and even the town's signs had changed with no R on any of them. She had to find that missing R! Funny story and illustrations.

[Isabel Bryan [the Bookmark Hoarder] · Rating 5 out of 5]

I definitely assumed those Rs were in the title... it is not "My Pet Ferret" lol. The Letter R goes missing and the hero of our story must go out to try to find where it went. All of the play on words (the story does not use any Rs until the last few pages) throughout the story was very funny.

This would be great for kids who are learning the alphabet, or just learning to read (read aloud to them, there were a lot of big words like pandemonium).