Editorial Review

A noteworthy review of The Smart Kid's Guide to Everyday Life from Booklist on October 1, 2014

Cover: The Smart Kid's Guide to Losing a Pet

In what might be the most poignant entry in the Smart Kid’s Guide to Everyday Life series, Petersen takes on the unavoidable—and unavoidably sad—topic of pet death. Beginning with a history lesson (humans befriended wolves about 32,000 years ago), she goes on to explain that, though your pet will be kept healthy with a vet’s help, it will still eventually die—suddenly or over a slow process of weakening. In this case, euthanasia is often ‘the most caring choice for a dear pet.’ Petersen’s language is direct: ‘Your pet dies right afterward . . . The shot does not hurt.’ Much of the book is devoted to the experience of grief—‘a mishmash of feelings’—and memorializing a pet. A sunny design, sober stock photos, and occasional squiggly illustrations help make this a useful, sensitive package.

—Daniel Kraus

Products Reviewed

Title   ATOS Format Qty
The Smart Kid's Guide to Losing a Pet
List

← Reviews