Lisa Jobe

This book is about a little boy that wants to keep every animal that he finds, but his mother gently points out how the animals belong in their own habitat, by asking him where he would want to live if he were that animal. They ultimately name off all the different habitats each animal lives in, and the boy is satisfied putting them back where they belong. teaches young children about animals and their natural habitat by connecting each creature to where they should live with a receptive word scheme.… (more)

A boy encounters and traps a series of wild creatures - a squirrel, a frog, a bird - and asks his mother if he can keep each one as a pet. Her replies prompt him to consider where he would like to live, if he were the creature in question, leading him to set each one free. But what or who will be his animal companion? Fortunately, a stray cat has the answer...

I was drawn in by the cover image of Can I Keep It?, which is the picture-book debut of author/artist Lisa Jobe. Her depiction of the frog, both on the cover and internally, is so droll! But then, all of her animal and human figures are immensely expressive. I appreciated both the story and message here - leave wild things alone, but take in and love stray cats - and found the artwork quite appealing. It looks at first glance to be done in some kind of cut-paper collage, but was actually created using watercolor, gouache and pastel, and then enhanced digitally. Whatever the media used, as mentioned above, it is very expressive! An accomplished debut, this is one I would recommend to young children who long for an animal companion of their own, or to those seeking children's stories addressing humane treatment of wild creatures.… (more)