I found some of these stories incredibly sweet, some sad and/or touching, some painful or cruel, and some felt rather . . . pointless. Not that a story exactly has to have a point - certainly I enjoy a good vignette or slice-of-life - but a few of these didn't even feel like there was much of a window or draw to them in that vein.

There is, also, of course, some mention of animal cruelty and animal death, and some that was probably not intended to read as animal cruelty, exactly (a fair few things have changed in how we treat animals or think of as acceptable treatment in the past 40 years), but was still less than comfortable.

'Planting Things' was definitely my favourite in the collection. ( )

An oddly poignant collection of stories. Don't let the placement of these on the children's shelf stop you from trying them. The book is brief, the language simple, easy to grasp, but the themes are mature for the professed audience, and the result is often touching, almost poetic. I gave away my copy of this book long ago, and now I wish I hadn't, because now I long for the pure emotions these stories evoke. They are still crystalline in my head, as they were when I bought this book as a child. ( )

While these vignettes are...interesting?...they have no plot, no conflict, no character development. They're just really, REALLY pointless. ( )

This is a small book filled with wonderful tales of the way in which animals change the lives of young and old. I very much enjoy Rylant's works. She is one of my favorite authors. There are twelve stories in this book in praise of the gentle way a pet helps us see the world in an entirely different way.

This is one book that I had read as a child but I didn't really understand it quite when I read it so I can say that I didn't remember the stories that were in it. What reminds me of reading this book is the content (I am and still am a big animal fan) and the simple drawings that begin each chapter along with the collage on the cover.

Being able to have a chance to re-read this book I am now able to see the treasures within these stories while enjoying them for what they have to offer. The stories in a way are very simple to read but a bit harder to quite understand if you aren't able to emotionally read between the lines.

The shortness of the stories, the simplistic prose of the writing and the ability to relate to some of the characters will attract younger readers. Others will be quite charmed by the pictures that are within the book.

If you don't like the first reading then I would ask you to give it some time before reading it again. May the jewel of this book touch you the next time around. ( )