Little Maisie loves animals and has picked up lots of information about them from the packets of her favourite Animal Crackers. Mum is adamant they can’t have a pet in their flat, but it seems Maisie’s dreams come true when the Animal Crackers animals come alive.
Soon there’s a monkey, a penguin, a giraffe and a (baby) elephant in the kitchen, together with some chickens... Maisie quickly realises mum has a point about the space, the cleaning up and the feeding involved in looking after pets and has to ask them to back to their packets and tins.
Fortunately, Mum has a surprise up her sleeve (NB it doesn’t involve a real-life pet). This is a gorgeous story, bursting with excitement, though it concludes with Maisie tucked up snug in bed, and will be really useful to parents in homes that just can’t accommodate pets. Ruby Wright’s bright screen print illustrations are very appealing and perfectly suited to her lively picture book adventure.
Maisie's head is full of animal facts! She desperately wants a pet of her own, but Mum says their flat is too small. Luckily a packet of animal crackers is about to grant Maisie's wish. But as a whole zoo-full of animals come to stay there are some unexpected results. (Well... Mum expected them.)
This exciting debut mixes fantasy and wish fulfilment with the reality of modern children's lives.
'In this stunning debut from Ruby Wright, Maisie's enthusiasm and her mum's imagination will capture your heart.' – YesBeBe
'An imaginative ‘be careful what you wish for’ story. Packed with animal facts, and perfect for fans of Get Real, Mallory and The Pet Potato.' – Phoebe Demenger, CLPE
'It's good to catch sight of Ruby Wright's host of companionable creatures. Especially the sardines.' – John Hegley
Author
About Ruby Wright
Ruby Wright was born in Winchester, but her family moved to Dorset when she was six months old (where she still has close connections). After art college, Ruby worked at the BBC and created podcasts for This American Life before rediscovering her love of printmaking.
Highly respected as a printmaker and illustrator, Ruby has been Sketcher-in-Residence at Refugee Tales and Artist-in-Residence at the Plastic Waste Innovation Hub, University College London. Ruby is based in London where she lives with her family and absolutely no pets. She has a masterful command of colour, character creation and storytelling with more than a dash of humour. Ruby can also play the musical saw. Animal Crackers was her debut picture book.
