Hello, friends! Our book today is My Pet Feet by Josh Funk and Billy Yong, a delightfully creative title that poses the question: what would happen if the letter R simply… disappeared?

Our unnamed child narrator wakes up one morning, ready to feed their pet, Doodles, when they’re greeted with a surprise: overnight, their pet ferret has become pet FEET! Upon further investigation, it seems that the letter R has disappeared completely from their town: their friend Lucas has become a fiend, local dogs are baking instead of barking, and when Doodles and the child try to take shelter from attacking cows, they can’t get in the town hall door because… well, you can guess. Exasperated with the situation, the child exclaims that she doesn’t want to have pet feet, inadvertently hurting Doodles’s feelings. The pet feet runs off, and the child gives chase; will they reconcile in time to solve the mystery of the missing R’s?

Creative and entertaining wordplay. Funk and Yong invite readers to consider the importance of each letter in the alphabet, while balancing humor and heart to tell a unique story with some wonderful twists and turns. Author Funk does a commendable job of building the premise while also refraining from the use of any words that use the letter R until the climax of the story, giving the story an amusing meta layer. Illustrator Yong populates the R-less world with some wonderful sight gags that prompt the audience to guess where the missing letter Rs might be (a personal favorite are the “ats”, @-shaped rodents with a taste for bagels). The length is perfect for a storytime, and JJ absolutely loved the wordplay and silly premise. Overall, this is a great way to explore the importance of word construction and letters while also having a few laughs, and we absolutely recommend it – Baby Bookworm approved!

(Note: A copy of this book was provided to The Baby Bookworm by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.)