A pet for Miss Wright by Judy Young illustrated by Andrea Wesson

The work of an author is a mystery to most of us, children especially.  Authors need a huge amount of self discipline and at times I am sure it must be quite a lonely job.

Miss Wright decides she needs a companion, a pet.  Just like in the famous Australian picture book A pet for Mrs Arbuckle, Miss Wright needs to try out various pets before she finds the perfect one.

Miss Wright does not need to travel around the world, though, like Mrs Arbuckle, she simply visits the pet shop and brings home a mynah bird, a monkey, a fish, a cat and a hamster.  For fairly obvious reasons each is a disaster.  "No more pets,' Miss Wright said. But when she took the cat back, the man at the pet store insisted 'You must try a dog."

This is a beautiful picture book.  The end papers and like rich wall paper and the same pattern appears as a decoration on each page.  Here is an interview with the author.

Both the story and the illustrations have a light, charming flavor, with understated humor and a sophisticated air that assumes that intelligent children will enjoy this story. The watercolor-and-ink illustrations are filled with swirling lines, and delicate, French-inspired patterns decorate borders and endpapers.