If I Had a Gryphon

K-Gr 2—Every child wants a pet, but most are oblivious to the attendant responsibilities. While many dream of owning a dog or cat, others want something different. In this fun tale, after reading a book on mythological creatures, a girl dreams of having a pet with exotic powers. As she contemplates her special pet—mulling over a variety of creatures including a unicorn, hippogriff, sasquatch, gryphon, mermaid, and basilisk—she realizes that although fantastical creatures are wonderful to read about, they might not fit well into her life and modern society: "Harpies are too screechy;/Chupacabras like to bite./Fairies play too many tricks/And kelpies hate the light." As the story progresses, the little girl spends less time enjoying her pet and more time managing their unusual behavior. By the end, she decides that a hamster, although it spends a lot of time sleeping and eating, is actually just about right because "I am his and he is mine/And that's enough for me." Vansickle uses catchy and clever rhymes to move the story briskly along, while Atkinson captures perfectly the mounting frustration and dismay of the resourceful but increasingly dispirited heroine. The story ends with a twist, and the final wordless page suggests that maybe even an ordinary pet will have surprises for its owner.