Earth Friends 04 – Pet Protection

Holly Webb's Pet Protection is an Earth Friends story for 7 year olds about a girl who can't have a pet, so she volunteers at an animal shelter instead.

What happens

Emily is desperate for a dog. Or a cat. Or anything with fur, really (not the tarantula her friend Poppy helpfully suggests). But her house is already bursting. There's Toby and James, who fight about everything, and two-year-old Sukie, who will only wear her wellies.

It's Izzy who has the brilliant idea. Why not help out at the shelter just outside the village?

Appleby Animal Rescue is an old farmhouse with every outbuilding full. Twenty-three dogs, nine cats, a room of squeaking guinea pigs, a pony and some rescued hens wearing knitted jumpers. Yes, really! It's run almost single-handed by Lucy, who is worn out, and the roof is leaking.

Emily falls for Twinkle straight away. She's a shy little whippet who doesn't let anyone near her, except Emily. Then there's Barney, a big old Labrador who'd much rather sit down than go for a walk.

When Lucy admits she worries the shelter might have to close, Emily and her friend Maya decide to throw it a tenth birthday party and sell tickets. Of course, you need somewhere to hold a party. And that costs money they haven't got.

It's a gentle, warm read with lots of friendship chat and funny family chaos. Toby and James squirt ketchup at each other, hog the computer and pretend they've had a bath. Any child with younger brothers or sisters will be nodding along.

There's a quieter thread too. Emily sometimes feels like the one Mum never has to worry about, and she'd like a bit of attention for once. It's handled very lightly, but your reader might recognise the feeling.

This is the fourth Earth Friends book. The four girls have already run a fashion show and a canal clean-up together, and those get a mention along the way.

If you've got an animal-mad reader who'd happily spend Saturdays hosing out dog pens, they'll love this one. It's a lovely nudge that you don't need to own a pet to help animals.

What to read next

To see how the four friends first got together, try Fair Fashion, where Maya is hiding a rather famous secret from her new classmates.