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Ramentales
Invented example: Finn in "The New Pet", the cover

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BooksClayAges 3–7Coming soon

The New Pet

A shy new pet, and a child who learns a quiet voice, an open hand and how to wait. Your own pet can be the one.

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Helps with

Kindness

Welcoming a new pet: gentle hands, a quiet voice and the patience to let trust grow.

The tool your child practises in the story

Quiet voice, open hand, wait

Sit on the floor at the animal's level, a little way off. Speak in your softest voice, or say nothing at all. Lay one hand open on the floor, palm up, and keep it still. Then wait, and let the animal come to you: no reaching, chasing or picking up. If it sniffs and walks away, that is a good first step. Model it yourself first, then let your child try while you sit beside them. The same three steps help with any animal, and with shy people too.

Page 26: For grown-ups. Every book ends with a page for you: what the story is about, how to talk about it, questions to ask and how to use the tool.

For grown-ups

What this story is about

A new pet is a huge joy, and for a young child it is also a lesson in waiting. Children want to cuddle and play at once; a new animal in a strange home usually wants to hide. In this story your child rushes in, the new pet bolts, and a kind helper shows a better way: quiet voice, open hand, wait. Your child keeps a little routine, lives through a setback (one enormous sneeze) and is rewarded when the pet comes over by itself. The message is simple: love is gentle, and trust is something the other one gives.

Three ways to talk about it

  • Practise the pet way before and after the pet arrives: sit low, speak softly, lay a hand open on the floor and count slowly to twenty together.
  • Give your child one small job in the routine, such as fresh water every morning, and let them see that caring is something you do every day.
  • Agree on one rule for the cosy corner: when the pet is in its bed, nobody touches it. Praise your child out loud whenever they remember.

Three questions to ask

  • Why do you think the new pet hid under the sofa at first?
  • What did the child do after the big sneeze? Was it easy to wait?
  • How did Ada learn to say hello to the pet? Who could you teach the pet way to?

Practise the tool together: Quiet voice, open hand, wait

Sit on the floor at the animal's level, a little way off. Speak in your softest voice, or say nothing at all. Lay one hand open on the floor, palm up, and keep it still. Then wait, and let the animal come to you: no reaching, chasing or picking up. If it sniffs and walks away, that is a good first step. Model it yourself first, then let your child try while you sit beside them. The same three steps help with any animal, and with shy people too.

Some children are very frightened of animals, and some find it very hard to be gentle even with help. If that lasts, or a fear starts to limit everyday life, talk to your paediatrician or a child psychologist. If sneezing, itchy eyes or wheezing appear around the new pet, ask your paediatrician about allergies.

Look inside

Twelve illustrated spreads: the picture on the left, the story on the right. These sample pages show an invented child called Finn.

  • Invented example: Finn in "The New Pet", page 2

    Nell opened the little door. Finn rushed forward, arms wide. "Come here! Want a cuddle? Let's play chase!" WHOOSH! Pip shot out of the basket and under the sofa, quick as a hiccup. Only two shiny eyes and a twitchy nose peeped out. Finn lay flat on the floor. "Why won't you come out?" Finn's voice went wobbly. "Don't you like me?"

  • Nell sat down on the rug, nice and low. "Everything here is new and big and loud," she said softly. "Think how you'd feel on your very first day somewhere new. The new pet needs to learn that this home is safe. So here is the pet way: quiet voice, open hand, wait." She laid one hand on the rug, palm up, and stayed as still as a cushion. Finn tried it too.

  • Then one rainy morning, Finn was sitting very still on the rug, one hand open, palm up. Pitter-patter, pitter-patter. Pip came out of the cosy corner, all the way across the rug... sniffed Finn's fingers... and pushed a soft, warm head right into Finn's open hand. Finn didn't squeal. Finn didn't squeeze. Finn just smiled and whispered, "Hello, friend. I waited for you."

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