Title: AJ’s Wish Amelia Jae Series, Book 1
Author: Renee Filippucci-Kotz
Genre: Children’s Fiction
Pages: 54
Published by: Archway Publishing
Published Date: November 1, 2016
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services LLC
ASIN: B01M35EJ51

Publisher’s Summary: Pets are a big part of many children’s lives. They can be a child’s first—and maybe best—friend. But do you know what needs to be considered when bringing one into your home?

Ten-year-old AJ isn’t sure. She only knows she has always loved animals. She enjoys playing with her grandma’s pets and the pets of her friends. But in author Renee Filippucci-Kotz’s AJ’s Wish you’ll read about her greatest wish—a pet of her own! After she and her family watch a program about all the animals in shelters, she asks her parents for a pet. When they say no, she sets out to prove she is responsible enough to care for an animal.

Ms. Filippucci-Kotz is a longtime volunteer with her local, county animal shelter and several rescue organizations. AJ’s Wish is more than an entertaining story of AJ’s quest for a pet. The author shares with readers what kind of research you should do before deciding on the right pet for your family, or even if your family should have a pet. After all, bringing a pet into a family is a serious commitment.

My Thoughts:  Most households come to this point as their children grow into responsible family members. Should we have a pet?  And if so, what kind?  What do we have to take into account in acquiring one?

I liked the story and the way the author immediately makes a child’s opinion matter.

The story is prefaced with Acknowledgments to seven young people, ages six through eleven who helped with the evolution and suggestions for the story.

Following that is a section titled Reviews, where four children wrote what they liked about the story as well as two mom’s.

Therefore, those two sections set the story dynamics very neatly into a mutual effort of a child’s desire for a pet and the parents concern the pet be well cared for if one joins their home. The big plus to reading this story is how the parent can help guide a child to make the right choice (tone of advice), providing a responsible path taking into account the child’s needs, the pet’s and the parent’s.  The repartee between AJ and her parents is something of a learning tool to a parent, I suspect.

The book is written with the intent to help children see what care an animal needs and how to acquire this information.  It displays a few illustrations through the story which enhance the readability.

I like the story. I like the message. And I approve how the author makes this story a tool of learning – both for parent and child. If you are looking for a book to help with the selection of a pet for your home, this is a lovely read.

The author provided me a copy for review.  My review expresses my unbiased thoughts and opinions.