Imagination
Imagination is a motif in this story, as it is what helps the children create the made-up animals. Through these creations, Seuss shows how imaginative and curious children can be.
Decisions
The idea of having to make a decision is another motif in this story, as the children are asked by their father to decide which animal to take home. This proves difficult, especially as the children keep creating new animals to choose from.
Illustrations
The bright illustrations found in this book are a key motif in Dr. Seuss's stories. This includes the imagery of creative and fanciful creatures. These illustrations bring the children's imagined pets to life and reveal what they might look like to the readers.
The book contains a lot of bright colors, which are appealing to young readers and make the book more engaging. For a children's book, this is important, as young readers are drawn towards colorful illustrations.
The next pet
Once the children think they have made a decision about which pet they would like to have, they are then distracted by yet another animal. This symbolizes the fact the children are easily distracted and are drawn to new and exciting things.
Whimsical animals
The children's fantastical and whimsical imagined animals are symbolic of a child's rich imagination and creativity. For example, the children imagine a "yent" who sleeps in a tent and a creature who flies on a string.
