Guest Blogger Barbara from Grade ONEderful

Hi Everyone!

It's Barb, from Grade ONEderful, and I'm SO excited to be posting on Beth Ann's fabulous blog today!  I've been following her for over a year now and always enjoy the great stuff she shares. But then if you're reading this, you already know that:)

We decided to do a switch-up today, so when you're finished reading I hope you pop on over to my blog and check out Beth Ann's post on writing "Small Moments". I love that stuff and always look forward to Beth Ann's "Lucy posts".

I'm going to share one of my favourite new books with you:

Title: Silly Doggy!

Author / Illustrator: Adam Stower

Publisher: Orchard Books, 2011

Intended Audience: 3 - 8 years

Topic: Bears, Pets

Opening Lines: One morning, Lily saw something wonderful in her garden. It was big, brown, and hairy. It had four legs, a tail, and a big, wet nose, and Lily had ALWAYS wanted one . . . .

Summary: Lily has ALWAYS wanted a dog. So imagine her delight when she finds a stray "doggy" in her backyard. Well, yes, it's actually an escaped bear from the local zoo. But Lily doesn't know that and the doggy is lovely, kind, gentle and just a little bit silly. Eventually Lily decides (with her mother's nudging) that her doggy needs to find his real owners. So Lily makes up a found poster, all the while secretly hoping that no one will see it.

Why I Like It: I'm always attracted to books about dogs so the title immediately caught my eye. And despite not seeing a single dog, this book just cracked me up. Looking at that poor bear patiently trying to please Lily is sweet and funny. The ending's hilarious, too. I won't give it away, but let's just say the last two words in the book are "Silly kitty!"

Resources:

1. Visit your local SPCA to learn about proper pet care or invite them into your classroom like Beth Ann did!

2. Tie it in with a Bear or Zoo unit.

3. Have the kids (after lots of excellent modelling by your excellent self) write and draw the beginning of the story, using an animal of their choice. This would be great for practicing description. (Click the pic to grab).

Be sure to have your kids draw themselves in the bottom left-hand corner of the page, with a talking bubble and the word "Doggy!", "Bunny!", "Kitty!", "Birdie!" or whatever animal fits their story. 

4. I love pairing artwork with books. If you visit Deep Space Sparkle (click on the image below) you can find all sorts of animal art ideas.

Thanks for stopping by! If you'd like to read about more fabulous books, be sure to visit Susanna's blog for Perfect Picture Book Friday.

Thanks, Beth-Ann!

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