CAN I BE YOUR DOG? by Troy Cummings - A dog story told through letters

What a fun dog story! Perfect for learning about letter writing or community helpers!

Summary from the publisher:

This picture book shares the tale of Arfy, a homeless mutt who lives in a box in an alley. Arfy writes to every person on Butternut Street about what a great pet he'd make. His letters to prospective owners share that he's house broken! He has his own squeaky bone! He can learn to live with cats! But, no one wants him. Won't anyone open their heart--and home--to a lonesome dog? Readers will be happily surprised to learn just who steps up to adopt Arfy.  

Can I Be Your Dog? was written and illustrated by Troy Cummings. It was published by Random House in 2018.

Opening:    

 

Dear People at Yellow House,

WOOF!!

CAN I BE YOUR DOG?

I am potty trained, and I have my own squeaky bone.

My Thoughts as a Writer:

If you’re interested in writing a story through letters, this is a great mentor text. There’s lots of humor in this story. I especially liked the different styles of responses to the dog.  The letters show the different personalities and hints of backstory in a just a few words. It made me want to try the challenge of writing a story told through letters or notes!

My Thoughts as an Educator:

This is a fun book to show students examples of letter writing and persuasive writing. It also shows different community helpers or places in the community. It may even lead into discussions about homelessness. The big, colourful illustrations make this book great for reading aloud.

Ages: 4 - 7

Grades: K – 2

Themes: dogs, letter-writing, community

Activities:

Pretend you are an animal. Write your own letter to ask for a home.

Draw a map showing different places the dog wanted to live. Tell the story using your map.

What do you think happens after the dog gets to his new home? Draw a picture to show your idea. 

THE BRANCH by Mireille Messier & Pierre Pratt

A nice book for talking about reusing or salvaging materials! This book is nominated for the 2018 Blue Spruce Award from the Ontario Library Association. I read a copy from my local library. 

 

Summary from the publisher:

When an ice storm snaps a small girl's favorite branch from the tree in her yard, she's crestfallen. The girl's mom says it's just a branch. But not to her! "That was the branch I sat on, jumped from, played under. It was my castle, my spy base, my ship . . ." Luckily, her neighbor Mr. Frank understands. He says the branch has "potential."  "What's potential?" she asks. "It means it's worth keeping." And so, with imagination and spirit, and Mr. Frank's guidance and tools, the girl transforms the broken branch into something whole and new, giving it another purpose, and her another place to treasure.

The Branch was written by Mireille Messier and illustrated by Pierre Pratt. It was published by Kids Can Press in 2016.

Opening:

It’s past my bedtime, but I can’t sleep.

My Thoughts as a Writer:

I really liked how the effects of the ice storm in this story were made so personal for the main character. There were also lots of sensory details: the sound of icy rain hitting my window and the splintery part on the trunk. The ending was a lovely surprise and very fitting. Unlike many recent picture books, this one is on the longer side at 774 words.

My Thoughts as an Educator:

This book offers many possibilities for discussion – weather and storms, losing something you care about, fear, imagination, reusing materials and community.

Ages: 4 and up

Grades: K and up

Themes: ice storms, reusing materials, community

Activities:

Imagine: If you climbed into a tree with a perfect branch, what would you imagine? Draw a picture.

Create: Go on a hunt outside and find your own branch. Use paint, glue, yarn or whatever you can find to turn your branch into something special.

A teaching guide with more resources is available on the Kids Can Press website.

Learning from Picture Books – ANYWHERE FARM by Phyllis Root & G. Brian Karas

This book encourages wondering! A good choice to pair with non-fiction  about growing plants.

 

Summary from the publisher:

You might think a farm means fields, tractors, and a barnyard full of animals. But you can plant a farm anywhere you like! A box or a bucket, a boot or a pan — almost anything can be turned into a home for green, growing things. Windows, balconies, and front steps all make wonderful spots to start. Who knows what plants you may choose to grow and who will come to see your new garden?

 Phyllis Root delivers a modern rhyming mantra for anyone hoping to put their green thumbs to good use, while G. Brian Karas’s cheerful urban illustrations sprout from every page. After all, anywhere can be a farm — all it takes is one small seed and someone to plant it.

For any anywhere farm, here's all that you need: soil and sunshine, some water, a seed.

Anywhere Farm was written by Phyllis Root and illustrated by G. Brian Karas. It was published in 2017 by Candlewick.

Opening:

For an anywhere farm, here’s all that you need:

soil

and sunshine,

some water,

a seed.

My Thoughts as a Writer:

I liked the concept that seeds can be planted in all kinds of different places. The language in this book is fun: “Your seed will sprout out at its own seedy speed.” It’s a lovely example of rhyme done well.

My Thoughts as a Teacher:

A great choice to go along with learning about plant growth. Some pages introduce questions, which are good opportunities or models for students to wonder and think. This is a really fun rhyming story for young children! I liked the way the ending invites the reader to take action and plant their own seed.

Ages: 4 - 7

Grades: K - 2

Themes: seeds, growing plants, environment, community

Activities:

Can we create a classroom garden? What do we need? Encourage students bring in seeds and containers to plant their own creative garden.

Draw a picture of an unusual place where you could plant a seed.

Create a “wonder wall” where students can post their own questions about growing seeds.

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday – THE FIREFLY CODE by Megan Frazer Blakemore

Reading this book transports you to a different world!

Description from the publisher:

Mori and her friends live a normal life on Firefly Lane in their utopian community, Old Harmonie. In a world this safe and perfect, they've never had to question anything . . . never had to wonder about how their lives came to be. Until a new girl named Ilana moves in. She's so perfect that Mori and her friends are curious . . . Where exactly did Ilana come from, and why does she act so strange sometimes? When Ilana's secret is revealed, the kids on Firefly Lane must decide: is it finally time to start questioning the only world they've ever known?

The Firefly Code was written by Megan Frazer Blakemore and published by Bloomsbury in  in 2016.

Why you want to read this book… 

This story explores interesting ethical ideas, but even if you don't want to think about it on that level, it’s a great read with a little bit of mystery, problems with friends and some surprising events along the way. I really enjoyed the friendships between the characters. The ending was a bit abrupt so I was glad to see from the author's website that a sequel is coming. I would gladly spend more time with the 'Firefly Five' on their adventure.

 “I held my arms out wide and looked up at the gray night sky, a smile spreading across my lips. I knew I was not going to tell anyone about this breach. It didn’t matter. After all, it’s not fences that keep us safe. It’s us.”

If you’re a writer… 

You will appreciate the lovely, poetic way that Megan Frazer Blakemore uses words to create sensory images. Even though it moved along at a good pace and had an intriguing storyline, care was taken to choose just the right words, without overburdening the story with description. I really love the writing style!

“All the smells of the forest came up to meet us, the smells of things growing and alive.”

If you’re a teacher…

There are so many interesting sparks for discussion in this story! The whole idea of a utopian community is fascinating (and would make for an interest project for students to work on as a group). There are also some interesting lesson plans related to building community on Megan Frazer Blakemore’s website). You could talk about artificial intelligence, genetic engineering, environmental issues, politics and ideas about safety, friendship, diversity, community – there’s really a lot to think about here. This would be interesting as a classroom read aloud.

  

“It’s only when you get out to the edges of the forest that you have the wild old trees: oaks and pines and maples all mixed together. That’s another reason why I like it out there: things were left to nature to figure it out, and nature tends to be smarter than people.”

Opening Line:

“Everyone goes to sleep at the same time on Firefly Lane. You can watch the lights switching off around the cul-de-sac like dominoes falling.”

Other Info:

Megan Frazer Blakemore is the author of several middle grade novels, including The Water Castle, The Friendship Riddle, and The Spy Catchers of Maple Hill.

THE DAYBREAK BOND, Book #2 in The Firefly Code series is scheduled for release in September 2017.

Check out this video on how she comes up with her ideas.