Dogs
Whether a “dog lover” or not, readers will delight in this clever, rhythmic story. Simple text and humorous illustrations are used to explore adjectives that describe dogs (“…hairy dogs and bald dogs. Stripy dogs and spotty dogs.”). Each double-spread shows a set of opposites and different breeds of canines. Ending with a surprise character, Dogs will leave children begging to read this tail-waggin’ book again and again.
Pennsylvania Center for the Book Awards
Book Activities & Discussion Ideas
Although the characters in this book are mostly dogs, their faces and body language are very expressive. After reading the story once, have children look at the Dog Personality Pictures from the book-integrated lesson plans on this website: Dog Personality Pictures. Have children come up with different words that describe each personality/dog. Next, reread Dogs and have children describe the personalities of the dogs in the illustrations. Children can use the Dog Personality Cards to compare and contrast the different types.
Explain to families where they can find the “end pages” of a book. End pages sometimes contain patterns, colors, or illustrations that give clues about the story to follow. Have families locate the end pages in the book which has labeled illustrations of dog breeds. Suggest that families look at the end pages with children before reading the story. After reading the story, have children go back and identify the different types of dogs by name.