The Perfect Dog ~ Picture Book & KID KANDY

by Angie Quantrell @AngieQuantrell

The Perfect Dog
By Kevin O'Malley
(Crown Books for Young Readers, 2016)

Her parents have finally said she could get a dog. The perfect dog.

But what makes a perfect dog? Big, bigger, biggest? Maybe or maybe not.

Humorously written and brightly illustrated, The Perfect Dog shares the tale of a young girl who is searching for the perfect dog companion. All goes well, until a dog chooses her.

I enjoyed this funny book and the comparative language used to tell the tale. Readers will laugh and begin to predict before the story is told.

KID KANDY:

Compare Your Toys

Materials: variety of toys, at least 3 different sizes of each type (3 dogs, 3 cars, 3 blocks, and so on)

Can you line up your toys by comparing them to each other?

Get 3 dogs. Put them in order of big, bigger, and biggest. Or maybe they are small, smaller, and smallest!

How about 3 blocks? Tall, taller, tallest? Or long, longer, longest?

Do you have 3 dolls? Tiny, tinier, tiniest?

3 instruments? Loud, louder, loudest? Quiet, quieter, quietest?

There are all sorts of ways to compare objects! See how many different words you can use to show comparisons. I'd love to hear your favorite!

I Love Dogs! ~ Picture Book & KID KANDY

I Love Dogs!
By Sue Stainton
Illustrated by Bob Staake
(Katherine Tegen Books, HarperCollins Publishers; 2014)

There is so much to see in this delightful picture book! Packs of dogs doing doggie things and tons of great words to build language fill the pages of I Love Dogs! Occasionally repetitive, just a little bit rhyming, and bright and colorful, this book caught my eye and led me to pull if from the shelf for a quick read.

If you are a teacher, this book will resonate with students. If you are a parent, with or without a dog at home, your child will love finding out about the things dogs do. If you are a kid, then you definitely want to search for your favorite dog. If you are a dog, well, then you will just have to bark and slobber and get ideas of things you want to do.

Dog lovers of all ages will want to read I Love Dogs!.

Warning: You will probably want to go out and adopt-a-dog after reading this book.

KID KANDY:

Make a Play Dough Dog

1. Dig out the play dough. It's always fun to make sculptures of animals. (A sculpture is like a statue.)

2. Start with the body. Make a ball. You may have to knead the dough to get is warmed up. Roll the ball on the table to stretch it out to the body shape you want.

3. Make 4 smaller balls. Roll them gently to stretch them into the legs you want. It's better to make thick legs to hold up the body. Skinny legs will squish. Carefully set the body on the legs and kind of rub the edges together to make them stick.

4. Roll another ball between your fingers to shape the head. Use a pencil tip to poke eyes and nostrils and draw mouth lines. Attach to the top of the body and rub the connecting edges.

5. Roll 2 tiny balls and flattern them to make ears. Stick them on the head.

6. What kind of tail do you want? Make it with play dough and place it opposite the head.

7. Use a pencil tip to carefully draw lines to make the dog look like it's covered with fur.

How did you do? Now you get to name your dog and make it some food to eat!

Ruff, ruff!

A Small Brown Dog with a Wet Pink Nose ~ Wacky Wednesday Picture Book & KID KANDY

A Small Brown Dog with a Wet Pink Nose
By Stephanie Stuve-Bodeen
Illustrated by Linzie Hunter
(Little, Brown and Company, 2010)

Oh, what an adorable book! A Small Brown Dog with a Wet Pink Nose is the perfect marriage between words, story, humor, and illustrations. This Wacky Wednesday feature is fun for readers - even adult ones like myself.

Amelia wanted a dog. Not just any dog, but a small brown dog with a wet pink nose.

Her parents said no.

Amelia did not give up. She finally pretended that she had a small brown dog with a wet pink nose named Bones. Amelia taught her parents to live with a dog. Imaginary though he was, Bones and Amelia trained the parents. All went well until one day Amelia woke up and found that Bones was lost! Remember? Bones is imaginary.

As her parents had previously promised that they would help her look for Bones until he was found, they searched high and low. Bones was nowhere. The family finally ended up at the animal shelter.

Did Amelia find her dog? Yes. Her parents finally realized that they might not be ready for a dog, but Amelia was.

Dog lovers and every other type of reader will love this clever book. Funny, kid-true, and delightful, A Small Brown Dog with a Wet Pink Nose is a must read. Don't forget to check out the inside book covers!

KID KANDY:

Draw Your Dream Dog

Do you have a dog? If you do, you can draw your dog. If you don't, imagine what kind of dog you would like.

Use crayons, pencils, and markers to draw your dog.

Think about:

- fur
- ears
- tail
- nose
- eyes
- size
- colors
- nose and whiskers

What does your dog like to do?

Look at the pictures in A Small Brown Dog with a Wet Pink Nose to find ideas for dog treats, toys, and activities. Include those on your drawing.

Display your drawing. Take your dog (real or imaginary) for a fun walk.

Roof, roof!

Fetch ~ Picture Book & KID KANDY

Fetch
By Jorey Hurley
(A Paula Wiseman Book, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Children, 2015)

One can probably tell by the title Fetch that this picture book is about dogs.

And one would be correct.

Fetch is the beautifully illustrated story about a dog at the beach. A single word joins the dog and his adventures on each page. The dog does what dogs do. It shakes, fetches, floats, and plays. But that is not all.

Imagine a trip to the beach and the dogs you've seen there.

Fetch is about those dogs. Young readers will love reading about the dog at the beach. Dog lovers will recognize every single action and be ready to head to the beach with their own dogs.

KID KANDY:

Doggy Time

Do you have a dog? It's time to go out and play with the dog.

You can:

-go for a walk
-play ball
-play catch
-give the dog a bath
-take a nap under a tree with your dog
-go to the beach (if you are so blessed to live near a beach)
-teach your dog a trick like shaking hands or sitting up on it's hind legs
-brush your dog

What else does your dog like to do?

P.S. If you don't have a dog for a pet, maybe one of your neighbors or your grandma or grandpa has one you can play with for a bit.

Say Hello to Zorro! ~ Picture Book & KID KANDY

Say Hello to Zorro!
By Carter Goodrich
(Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2011)

Mister Bud enjoyed living life high on the hog. He had his own everything. Including his own schedule, which he minded with great decisiveness and from which there was no departure. Ever.

Until one day bossy Zorro appeared right at greet and make a fuss time. Zorro was there to stay. Things did not look good for the new canine roommates. Until they noticed that they both had the same schedule. After that, life became one great schedule of fun and companionship.

Though Mister Bud still had his cranky days and Zorro tended to be bossy.

Oh, if you love dogs, this is the book for you. The illustrations are fantastic and the commentary of the pet owner (as part of the story) adds a different viewpoint in addition to that of Mister Bud and Zorro.

Say Hello to Zorro! would be a good book to read if you are considering adding another pet to your family.

KID KANDY:

What's Your Schedule?

Mister Bud and Zorro had funny names for the different parts of their daily schedule. What is your schedule? Tell your parents what you do throughout the day. Can you think of new names for the different parts?

For example:

Breakfast

School

Lunch

Recess

Go home

Play

Homework

Dinner

Bath

Bedtime


Try making up some silly names for each thing. Like:


Breakfast could be Stuff my face time

School could be Feed my brain time

Lunch could be Chow with friends time


Now you try. What is your schedule?