If I Had a Gryphon by Vikki VanSickle Illustrated by Cale Atkinson

Standalone. Tundra Books (February 9th, 2016) NetGalley

Sam just got a hamster for a pet. But the hamster is kind of boring ... he just eats and sleeps and gets his shavings wet. Inspired by her book of mythological creatures, Sam longs for a more exciting pet. But she soon realizes that taking care of these magical beasts might not be as wonderful as she thought. Sasquatches are messy, unicorns are shy, gryphons scare the dogs at the dogpark, and having a fire extinguisher handy at all times makes dragons seem like an awful lot of work. In the end, Sam realizes that her hamster is a pretty sweet and safe pet ... or is he?

If I Had a Gryphon is a raucous rhyming read-aloud about fantastical beasts in everyday situations--and the increasingly beleaguered heroine who has to deal with them.

Sam's pet hamster is quite boring compared to all the animals she finds in her mythology books. She thinks of how great a gryphon, mermaid, sasquatch and other unusual creatures would be to have as pets. But as she thinks them up she notices that they all come with some complications. In this beautifully illustrated picture book, you'll get some giggles and an assortment of odd knowledge about mythological creatures.

I was instantly attracted to the artwork in If I Had a Gryphon. It's really my style of art with vibrant colors and really cartoony bigger than life creatures. The illustrations really make the story come alive. The writing is really cute and simple. The story rhymes its way to every creature Sam can think of. I think the array of creatures and the way the story is presented will have kids wanting to read more about the animals. I really want to know what a Kirin is and why it needs a field of grass. The silliness and creativity of what each creatures complication would be was really fun. I especially liked hearing about the manticore needing special floss and seeing Sam flossing that big, disgusting mouth.