View source for Please Don't Torment Tootsie by Margaret Chamberlain

{{infobox2 
|title=Please Don't Torment Tootsie
|author=Margaret Chamberlain
|reviewer=Keith Dudhnath
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=A gentle introduction to treating pets well delivers the message without being at all preachy.
|rating=3.5
|buy= Maybe
|borrow= Yes
|pages=32
|publisher=Hodder Children's Books
|date=February 2009
|isbn=978-0340932421
|aznuk=0340932422
|aznus=0340932422
|cover=0340932422
|website=http://www.margaretchamberlain.co.uk/
}}

''Please Don't Torment Tootsie'' is a useful introduction to pets for any young child. If family and friends have pets that they're not used to, it'll teach them to stroke gently, rather than poke cats, dogs or any other animals. As well as being a cautionary tale, it's also an enjoyable read in its own right.

Margaret Chamberlain's illustrations are lots of fun, from poor Tootsie getting her back up, to Poochie unhappy at being ridden, there's lots of life and vibrancy in every page. The children change from being little rotters to sweet things who find that their pets are much nicer when they're gentle with them. Text and pictures go hand in hand to show the change in mood.

The alliteration in the beginning works well to draw you in, before the rhymes kick in at the end. Whilst it makes a worthy addition to any bookshelf, it's not a book that's unputdownable. The lack of central narrative means it's 'merely' useful and enjoyable, rather than one that will be read over and over. That's not to say that the book's bad, but Tootsie's a character I'd have liked to get to know a bit better.

For some families, it'll be a perfect lesson for their little ones. For others, it'll be a book to enjoy before moving on to another.

My thanks to the publishers for sending it to Bookbag.

For a mix of cats and dogs, you can't go far wrong with [[Hairy Maclary by Lynley Dodd]]. [[DogFish by Gillian Shields]] is a sweet book with a surreal twist about owning a pet.

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[[Category:Pets]]