This is a lovely picture book with gorgeous wholesome pictures, and a lift-the-flap on every page. A boy heads into a pet shop with big signs on the window "Everything must go". Inside there's a very friendly rat for 1p who's dying to be picked and helps throughout the browsing process. There are lots of interesting animals, terrapin, turtle and tortoise; a perch of things beginning with p (platypus???); a skink ("a sausage on legs" says the rat) and so on. Will the boy choose the salamander, the anteater, or what? The finale is a long fold-out page with a collection of animals and a pop-out pelican.
With its flaps and interesting animals, this is probably suitable for children from about 18 months (in response to the other review, Billy's Beetle has the same kind of feel as this book but possibly has more text and certainly has no flaps so is better from two and a half). This book should also last the test of time. It still amuses my daughter who at 7 is really too old, and she also likes to do the maths, adding up the prices of the various animals for sale up to reach £1.
In sum, totally charming.