Smelly Peggy
This sweet story is an ode (or is it an odor?) to animal lovers, young and old! Vivid imagery and sensory details bring this silly and heartfelt book to life. Young Pie introduces readers to Peggy the dog, who licks, steals, rolls, and shakes her way into everyone’s hearts, even if she is a bit naughty at times! The author brilliantly invites the reader into the action by asking for their opinion throughout the book, making the story so entertaining that readers can almost smell Peggy themselves! While getting a bath is definitely not Smelly Peggy’s favorite activity, her adorable antics have a way of washing the blues away for her readers.
Pennsylvania Center for the Book Awards
Book Activities & Discussion Ideas
In the story, Pie shares a lot of reasons why Peggy is naughty and says that their family loves her anyway. Brainstorm a list with children of all the things about Peggy that make her lovable. A fun classroom activity connected to our sense of smell is to fill a few covered jars with some safe scents, such as vanilla, cinnamon, coffee grounds, or peppermint. Take time for children to smell each scent and guess what it might be. Create a chart to graph whether each child finds the smell pleasing or not.
The author, Helen Stephens, includes some perfect places to pause throughout the story. She asks the reader questions in the text such as, Peggy “has a little curly tail that’s hard to find. Can you see it?” and “Does she look like she enjoys showers?” Posing questions like these invites children to play an active part in the reading experience and activates their thinking. Adults can ensure that children have time to think about the question, take in the illustrations, and provide responses when comfortable.