Dogs

Why do we split cats and dogs up?  Why don't we just do pets as one big theme and do both? Well, as I said before, there are lots of books for both, so rather than have to choose between them all, we just split them up and do it this way.

Some Dogs Do by Jez Alborough. This is about a dog named Sid who accidentally flies on the way to school one day.  Sid is SO excited, he tells everyone, but no one believes him. They make him prove it, but it doesn't happen again, and Sid goes home absolutely crushed. Then Sid's dad tells him a secret that raises his spirits again.

Oh No, George! by Chris Haughton. I swear, reading this book feels like reading what's going on in my friend's dog's head. George's owner leaves him at home, and though he knows he shouldn't do stuff (like eat an entire chocolate cake), he does it anyway.George is sorry, and they go for a walk, so he proves it by being on his best behavior. My friend has a Great Dane, and no lie - we left the house once and he ate about 18 chocolate cupcakes that were cooling on the counter. They had to make him drink water with peroxide in it to get him to throw them up. Which he did. Whole - wrappers and all.

How Much is That Doggie in the Window? by Iza Trapani. You can sing the whole book to the classic tune of this song. A little boy wants a dog, but doesn't quite have enough money for it. He earns some, but it sweet to his family and buys them things when they need it or are feeling down.

He goes to visit the puppy one day, only to find out it's been sold.  When he goes home, he finds out his parents bought it for him.

Move Over, Rover by Karen Beaumont. This is a GREAT one to do as a read-aloud. This is a story that builds on itself, and every time it gets to this point in the story, we have the kids yell out "Move over, Rover!". A dog is lonely in his house. Suddenly a rainstorm hits and all these animals come looking for shelter. They're squeeeeezed in, when they all scatter because of a skunk.  In the end he's happy to be back in his doghouse all alone.

Bark, George by Jules Feiffer. A worried mother taker her pup to the vet because he won't bark. He meows, quacks, oinks, and moos. The vet pulls out a cat, duck, pig, and cow. The mom is so proud, she wants to show him off to everyone on the way home. So she asks him to bark, which he definitely doesn't do.

Other good books:

Show Dog by Meghan McCarthy

Dog Breath by Dav Pilkey

Woof: a Love Story by Sarah Weeks

I Don't Like Gloria by Kaye Umansky

Buster by Denise Fleming

With this theme we almost always do BINGO.  The song, not the game obviously. Since I usually deal with younger children and taking away letter and clapping is a hard concept, I try to start off each verse by telling them what letter we're taking away and how many times we'll clap this time.