April is National Pet Month and here at Parade’s End Books we are all animal lovers. Here are some pet inspired books for readers of all ages to enjoy. Don’t forget we are dog friendly in the shop so do pop in with your four legged friends.
Goldfish in the Parlour by John Simons
For the first time, fish became our companions and a corner of many a Victorian parlour was given over to housing tiny fragments of their world enclosed in glass. The experience of seeing a fish swimming in a glass tank is one we take for granted now but in Victorian England this was a remarkable sight.
People had simply not been able to see fish as they could with the invention of the aquarium and everything that went with it. Goldfish in the Parlour looks at the Victorian-era boom in the building of public aquariums, as well as the craze for home aquariums and visiting the seaside. Furthermore, this book considers how people see and meet animals and, importantly, in what institutions and in what contexts these encounters happen.
John Simons uncovers the sweeping consequences of the Victorian obsession with marine animals by looking at naturalist Frank Bucklands Museum of Economic Fish Culture and the role of fish in the Victorian economy, the development of angling as a sport divided along class lines, the seeding of Empire with British fish and comparisons with aquarium building in Europe, USA and Australia. Goldfish in the Parlour interrogates the craze that took over Victorian England when aquariums introduced fish to parks, zoos and parlours.
Olly Brown, God of Hamsters by Bethany Walker
For any kid who ever wanted a hamster: careful what you wish for! Olly Brown is hamster obsessed, but he never gets to take home the Year 6 class hamster. His dad won’t allow any pets. But then the most amazing thing happens: a hamster shows up in Olly’s house anyway! And it seems smart. Like, really smart.
This new hamster, Tibbles, is in awe of Olly, and it turns out Tibbles is one of many: there’s a whole civilization of super-advanced, intelligent hamsters who seem to be worshipping Olly … as a god?
THIS IS SO AWESOME! But how is this possible???
A laugh-out-loud story that will also melt readers’ hearts
Perfect for fans of Charlie Changes Into a Chicken and Pamela Butchart’s books!
A Horse Called Now by Ruth Doyle
When I’m afraid, I breathe in and out and let the feelings come . . . and then go. Nothing lasts forever.”
Now the Horse enjoys the singing of the birds, the chattering of the crickets and all the wonders of nature.
But Rabbit fears being chased by a fox, and Hen thinks a swooping magpie will catch her chicks. When a thunderstorm arrives, Now leads her friends to shelter . . . where they soon discover that not everything is as frightening as it seems.
A calm and reassuring story about overcoming worries and living in the present moment with beautiful artwork from Alexandra Finkeldey.
A charming collection of quotes about cats from our favourite authors, accompanied by artwork in the trademark style of Paul Magrs (author of The Panda, the Cat and the Dreadful Teddy).
‘I love them, they are so nice and selfish’ – L.M. Montgomery
This collection of quotes from the literary greats explores just why cats have fascinated, mesmerised and often infuriated writers for centuries. Celebrating the mystery of these daydreaming, snarky, selfish, watchful, contemplative and changeable creatures, Puss in Books helps cat and book lovers to understand these beings who have intrigued great thinkers and writers since the dawn of time.
Quotes include:
‘Time spent with a cat is never wasted’ – Colette
‘Those who play with cats must expect to get scratched’ – Miguel de Cervantes
‘If cats could write history, their history would be mostly about cats’ – Eugen Weber
The Cats we Meet Along the Way by Nadia Mikail
Seventeen-year-old Aisha hasn’t seen her sister June for two years.
And now that a calamity is about to end the world in nine months’ time, she and her mother decide that it’s time to track her down and mend the hurts of the past.
Along with Aisha’s boyfriend, Walter and his parents (and Fleabag the stray cat), the group take a roadtrip through Malaysia in a wildly decorated campervan – to put the past to rest, to come to terms with the present, and to hope for the future.
With the world due to end imminently, Aisha and her brilliantly drawn family undertake an eventful road trip across Malaysia to find her estranged sister June
The Cats We Meet Along the Way is a blazingly original and wonderfully affecting debut.
Went to London, Took the Dog by Nina Stibbe
Twenty years after leaving London, Nina Stibbe is back in town with her dog, Peggy. Together they take up lodging in the house of writer Deborah (Debby) Moggach in Camden for ‘a year-long sabbatical’.
It’s a break from married life back in Cornwall, or even perhaps a fresh start altogether.
Debby does not have many demands – only to water the garden, watch for toads, and defrost the odd pie – so Nina is free to explore the city she once called home. Between scrutinising her son’s online dating developments, navigating the politics of the local pool, and taking detergent advice at the laundrette.
Went to London, Took the Dog: The Diary of a 60 Year-Old Runaway reunites us with the inimitable voice of Love, Nina, as the writer becomes, as she puts it, ‘a proper adult’ at last.
Can there really be 100 dogs doing 100 doggy things packed into the pages of this picture book? Follow the bouncy rhyme as it weaves its way through an array of hilarious hounds (from petted pugs to silly sausage dogs) and find out . . .
This silly celebration of dogs is bursting with funny details to spot and crazy, characterful dogs to fall in love with – a bark-aloud book to return time and again.