The Great Pet Sale

The narrator of this beguiling lift-the-flap book spies a sign in a pet shop announcing: ""Everything Must Go!""; an unexpected sales pitch ensues--as does an unobtrusive lesson in counting and adding. Hiding behind the lift-the-flap sign is a tiny rat missing half of his whiskers, calling, ""I'm only 1 cent! Choose me!"" As the rat tries to talk the boy out of purchasing a variety of other increasingly pricey pets, his tactics will amuse readers of all ages. Seeing three creatures, concealed under a sign advertising a salamander, skink and gecko, the child asks which one is which and the rat quips, ""Nobody knows! Nobody cares!.... Sausages on legs! You don't want one of THOSE!"" A gatefold with an unexpected pop-up brings this tale to a cheerful close. Funny text, an amiable menagerie, sturdy pages and some inventive extras (the rat has bitten off the corner of one page, to prove to his prospective owner that he isn't a fussy eater) make this paper-over-board volume almost as irresistible as its fast-talking protagonist. Ages 3-6. (Mar.)