Just Like Millie by Lauren Castillo (Candlewick, 40 pages, ages 4-8). The narrator deals with anxiety after she and her mother move to a new home. She feels safest playing alone in her room and gets nervous meeting new people or being in new situations. When Millie, a rescue dog, comes to live with the family, the girl starts to feel a little more comfortable interacting with people and their dogs on their walks. On a trip to the dog park, another girl and her mother sit near them. Inspired by Millie’s friendliness, the narrator suggests that they go say hello. “And just like Millie, I made a friend..”

Luigi: The Spider Who Wanted to Be a Kitten by Michelle Knudsen, illustrated by Kevin Hawkes (Candlewick, 40 pages, ages 4-8). When a big, hairy spider takes up residence under the sofa of an old house, he’s surprised when the woman living there mistakes him for a kitten and names him Luigi. Before long, Luigi discovers he enjoys the free food, warm bed, and fun playtime that come with being a kitten. But he worries that Betty won’t want him if she finds out what he really is. When her friends come over for game night, Luigi is sure the jig is up, but he does his best to look catlike. His little spider heart sinks when he overhears one of the friends asking Betty why she adopted a spider, and he retreats back under the couch. The next day, though, Betty tells him that, while she enjoyed pretending that he was a kitten, she always knew he was a spider. She likes him just the way he is and invites him to go back to his spidery ways. Luigi is thrilled to have both a new home, a new friend who accepts him for what he is, and the prospect of being able to eat bugs again.

These two engaging picture books celebrate the joy of pet ownership. I discovered both of these titles (as well as several more that will be included in upcoming posts) on the Goodreads mock Caldecott list, so they both feature outstanding illustrations. Millie is a simple story with an adorable dog and an extremely satisfying ending, while Luigi is a funny tale by the author and illustrator of Library Lion that gets resolved with a nice message of acceptance.