Thursday, October 11, 2012

A Perfect Pet for Peyton: A 5 Love Languages Discovery Book



It’s Penny and Peyton’s birthday. They are twins and are excited about celebrating their birthday together. They are having their birthday party at the Perfect Pet Emporium, which is like “a zoo, a museum, a theme park, and a birthday party palace all in one place,” in other words, the perfect place for a birthday party. Three of their friends have been invited to join them for the party

The twins and their friends spend a great day exploring the facility. After pizza and cake have been served and eaten, each of the friends get to take home a “perfect pet”. The pet is chosen by Mr. Chapman, who uses each child’s “love language” to pick the perfect pet for them. There are five love languages: Gifts, Words of Affirmation, Quality Time, Physical Touch, and Acts of Service.

Mr. Chapman explains: “Each of us especially likes to love and be loved in one or two of these languages; some love kind words, others like touch. Some enjoy spending special time with people. Others love gifts and some like to do nice and helpful things. We all need to love people in every way. However, God made us each special and we all love a little differently. Pets do some things naturally that can kind of match our Love Language. When we find one that matches yours, that’s a perfect pet pal.”

A Perfect Pet for Peyton: A 5 Love Languages Discovery Book, was co-written by Rick Osborne and Gary Chapman. The authors included a couple of extra items in the book. Each large picture contains at least hidden insect. This is mentioned on the first page so readers will know to look for the hidden insects on subsequent pages. Also, there are instructions in each successive illustration to look for various other things, such as different types of birds. The authors also include a section at the back of the book with questions for children to help them determine their own particular “love language”.

The illustrations by Wilson Williams Jr. are truly delightful. They are bold, colorful, expressive and detailed. The addition of hidden objects in them makes them even more appealing.

What I Like: The illustrations. They are great. I also like the "love languages". It's a concept I had never heard of before.

What I Dislike: I realize one reason this book would be appealing to children is because of the thoughtful way Mr. Chapman figures out each child’s “perfect pet”. One of the twins’ friends is given a Capuchin Monkey as her perfect pet. I don’t think it’s wise to suggest that a Capuchin Monkey would make a perfect pet for a child, even if that particular animal does match the “love language” of the recipient.

Also, some of the insects are hidden quite well in the illustrations and might be difficult to find. There is no guide at the end of the book to tell you where any particular insect is hidden if you can’t find it.

Overall Rating: Very good.

Age Appeal: 8-12.

Publisher Info: Northfield Publishing, 2012; ISBN: 9780802403582; Hardcover, 64 pages, $11.49.






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