What Pet Should I Get?

By Dr. Seuss

Copyright 2015

I never expected to see it again, but last week, a brand new Dr. Seuss book came out.  Much of my personal collection of books is purchased used, but I made an exception for What Pet Should I Get?  I wanted to share it with a storytime group this week, so I bought it at my local independent bookstore the first day it came out.  Theodor Seuss Geisel died in 1991, but recently a manuscript with finished line art was discovered among his papers.  It is estimated that he wrote in between 1958 and 1962.

What Pet Should I Get? is written in typical Seuss verse and includes just the right amount of total nonsense.  Two children are at a pet store making the difficult choice of which one pet to get.  Not only that, but they don’t have much time.  

“We have to pick ONE pet and pick it out soon.  You know Mother told us to be back by noon.”

Dog – cat – rabbit – bird – fish?  Or should they get “a fast kind of thing who would fly round my head in a ring on a string?”  Or maybe a giant yent who would live in a tent?  The options seem endless and they just don’t know how they can choose.

Since Seuss ends What Pet Should I Get? with a cliffhanger, the reader is forced to make up their own mind about what pet the children end up getting.  When my daughter read it, she was angry about the ending.  She wanted to know what was in the children's basket as they left the store.  When I read it to a large group of children, they seemed to enjoy making guesses and explaining how they made their decisions.  

Dr. Seuss shows us that while decisions can be difficult, sometimes you just have to make up your mind.  

“I will do it right now.  I will do it!” I said.  I will make up the mind that is up in my head.”