Stories of Dogs (Read with Usborne, Level 3)

Stories of Dogs Book Review

Stories of Dogs by Russell Punter is a book for confident readers.  This book is part of the Read With Usborne Reading Program.  I previously shared with you two other books in the Read with Usborne Reading Program, The Chilly Little Penguin in the Level 1 group for new readers and Elephants from the Level 2 group for developing readers.  Stories of Dogs is in the level 3 group for confident readers.  Later this week, I'll be sharing a book from the level 4 group which is intended as a step to chapter books.  Stories of Dogs is not part of the chapter book group but it does have 3 chapters so you can go ahead and introduce your young confident readers to chapters and teach them how to read a table of contents like the one shown in the photo below.

Stories of Dogs, Table of Contents

Stories of Dogs

Stories of Dogs tells three different stories about three different dogs.  The first dog in the story, Sprite, is on his way to a dog show at the park.  His owner, Nick, wants to stop by the pet shop on their way to the park.  We are not told what Nick buys inside the store, but Sprite waits patiently outside licking his lips with high hopes that his owner returns with doggie chews.  While Nick is inside the store, a scruffy, smelly man steps on Sprite's paw.

Stories of Dogs, Sample Page

Stories of Dogs, Sample Page

At the dog show, Sprite meets other dogs including a snooty poodle named Lady Fifi Bonbon.  During the show, a judge notices the mud on Sprite's paw, reminding him of his encounter with the scruffy, smelly man.  Poor Sprite hobbles through the show with a less than desirable performance due to his sore, muddy paw.  Finally, when it is time to award the trophy to the winner, the judges discover that the trophy is missing.

Maybe Sprite will get his chance to show the judges what he can do after all.  You'll have to read the book to find out.  :)

The next story is about a dog named Titch who wants to be a top sheepdog like his dad.  His dad, Bryn, has won lots of medals but every time Titch tries to round up sheep, things go wrong.  Poor Titch is met with all kinds of troubles while trying to round up sheep.  One day, the shepherd whose name is Owen takes Bryn and Titch for a walk.  Titch tells his dad that he doesn't think he will ever be as good of a sheep dog as he is.  When a thick fog develops all around them, Titch loses sight of Bryn and Owen.  Titch hears a shout and a yelp.  Bryn and Owen are in trouble.

When the stakes are high, can Titch put his dad's sheep-herding tricks to use in order to save Bryn and Owen?  At the end of the story, Titch doesn't get an award for sheep-herding.  He gets an award for something else, something more valuable.  You'll have to read the book to find out what happens to Bryn and Owen and to find out what kind of award Titch gets.

The third story in Stories of Dogs is about a group of rescue dogs who live at a shelter owned by Mr. Tike.  Mr. Tike's dog home is all creaky but he can't afford to repair it so he must sell the dog home along with the dogs who live there.  Bob the collie and Pip the pointer hope the new owner is as nice as Mr. Tike.  One day, Mr. Wink and Mrs. Hood show up to buy the doggy home.  The dogs notice Mrs. Hood's sickly smile.  Will Mr. Wink and Mrs. Hood treat the dogs as well as Mr. Tike had treated them?  They certainly make some changes . . . changes that Mr. Tike never would have made.  The dogs need to get away.  Heidi the dachshund manages to squeeze through the cage.

Can Heidi free the other dogs?  Who are Mr. Wink and Mrs Hood?  Why did they want to buy Mr. Tike's doggy home if they don't even like dogs?

The story of Mr. Tike's home for dogs has a heart-warming ending that will make every dog-loving child want to read it over and over again.

Stories of Dogs mentions several different breeds of dogs.  Either before or after the story, take a few minutes to talk with your child about different dog breeds and the unique characteristics of each one.  There are many things you can do to teach your children about dogs and how to properly care for them.  Here are several that I found around the internet.

Learn How to Care for Dogs

Teach your children to be kind to animals and learn to make special dog treats.

Print out a dog parent checklist to help you become a better pet parent.

Learn about super foods that are good for your dog.

Find out about the best chews and toys for your Doodle mixed breed.

Here are 10 life hacks for dog owners.

Essential oils are all the craze right now.  Learn which oils are safe for your pets and which ones are harmful.

Learn how to properly bathe your dog.

Read about how to protect your dog's feet.

Here are several great tips about keeping your dog's teeth healthy.

Dogs need exercise.  Make your dog an obstacle course.  Here's how.

Dog Crafts and Activities for Kids

Make a cute little puppy face from paper plates and paints.

Sort and Classify Dogs. (This one is PERFECT to go along with Stories of Dogs)

Start a Dog Park and  Print Out a Dog BINGO Sheet . . . wait, make that a B-A-R-K-O sheet.

Dog Color Matching Activity for Preschool and Pre-K Kiddos

Play Feed the Dog.

Enjoy Dog Color by Number Printables.

Train Up a Future Veterinarian Using These Animal Clinic Printables

More Dog Books from Usborne Books

Usborne Books are high quality educational books for children across a wide range of ages, grade levels, and reading levels. 

All Better

All Better

Dog hurt his foot, Sheep scratched her tummy and Bear sat on a splinter! What will make everything all better? Clean it, kiss it and put a bandage on it! Young readers will delight in the five animal friends’ misadventures and be eager to help make things “all better” with the five reusable and repositionable stickers. 

Dogs

Dogs

How do dogs say hello? Which kind of dog can't bark? Why do some dogs bury their toys? Find the answers and more in this charming beginning reader, with recommended web sites.

Dogs in Space

Dogs in Space

Meet Belka and Strelka, two stray dogs from Moscow who, in1960, became the first animals to orbit Earth and return home safely. Including additional information about the space race and other animals in orbit, this is an ideal STEM title for the 50th anniversary of the moon landing. 

Please visit kanemiller.com for more resources (games, puzzles, activities etc.) to accompany the books. 

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Stories of Dogs by Russell Punter

You may also like our Learning from Home Series here.

Elephants by Kate Davies (Read with Usborne, Level 2)

Yesterday, I shared with you an adorable penguin book in the Read with Usborne Level 1 series.  The Chilly Little Penguin is appropriate for new readers.  Today, I'm sharing with you an informative book about elephants.  Elephants by Kate Davies is in the Read with Usborne Level 2 series.  Level 2 is appropriate for developing readers.

Elephants 

Elephants is written by Kate Davis and illustrated by Rocio Martinez.  I found this book both appealing and informative.  Like The Chilly Little Penguin, this book is well illustrated.  The images are cute and appealing for young readers, but not over stimulating.  Elephants is not just a book about cute elephants.  It is an informative book.  I learned a few things about elephants that I didn't know.

The words are large and appropriate for developing readers.  Baby elephants are just too cute so the story captures the reader's attention right away.

Elephants are mammals.  They take care of their young.  The elephant in the story is feeding her baby.

Your young reader will learn that some elephants come from Africa and others come from Asia.  You can sneak in a little geography lesson here.

There are differences between African elephants and Asian elephants.  African elephants are bigger than Asian elephants and they have bigger ears and longer tusks.  Female Asian elephants don't even have tusks. You can sneak in a bigger/smaller concept lesson here.  :)

Did you know that elephants can swim?  I thought they just waded in water and enjoyed the mud, but those big ole' animals can swim!

Throughout the rest of the book, children learn that elephants in Africa don't usually swim because they don't get enough rain.  The water they do have dries up easily.  They travel together in herds.  Children learn that lions feed on elephants, but if the mother elephants sense the danger, they have ways to protect the baby elephants.  They'll learn that female elephants live in herds with their babies but male elephants live alone or with other males.  If male elephants want a female elephant to notice them, they will fight.  When the female elephant picks a male, they move away from the herd for a while and then soon a baby elephant grows inside the female.

I learned something else as I neared the end of the book.  When it's time for a baby elephant to be born, the mother elephant moves away from the herd and another female elephant goes with her to help with the delivery.  I had no idea.  I think I enjoyed this book as much as children will enjoy it.  I've always wanted to go on an African safari journey.  Now I want to go more than ever.

By the way, if you have always wanted to go on an African Safari trip, here's your chance.  Answers in Genesis has posted their 2020 Event Calendar.  You can go on an African Safari with them.  Learn more here. 

 

At the end of the book, your developing reader will learn more elephant facts.  Like me, moms and dads might learn new elephant facts too!  Children will learn how to use an index that is printed on page 47.

You'll love Usborne Quicklinks.  I took the liberty of going there and typing in "first reading elephants" as described on page 47.  Go here now and learn more!

The Chilly Little Penguin and Elephants are part of the Read with Usborne Reading Program.  Up next is Stories of Dogs by Russell Punter.  Stories of Dogs is in the level 3 group for confident readers.

Find more facts about elephants and plan fun elephant activities.  Follow my elephant board on Pinterest.

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Elephants by Katie Davis

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The Chilly Little Penguin (Read with Usborne, Level 1)

If you've been with me for a while, you probably know that I am a big fan of Usborne Books.  Usborne books are high quality educational books.  You'll find books appropriate for babies all the way to the middle school years.  Usborne Books offers 4 reading programs (Read with Usborne, My Very First Reading, Accelerated Reading, and Lexile).  Today, I'm going to share a book from the Read with Usborne program.  The Read with Usborne program spans from level 1 to level 4.  I'm going to begin with a level 1 book titled The Chilly Little Penguin.  Later this week, I'll share a book from each of the other levels.

The Chilly Little Penguin 

The Chilly Little Penguin was written by Russell Punter and illustrated by Stephen Gulbis.  The Chilly Little Penguin is a level 1 book in the Read with Usborne Reading Program.  It is intended for new readers. 

Perry the penguin has a very special reason for wanting to get warm.  Can he find a way to take the chill off his frosty feathers?

Perry is a cute little penguin who lives with his family at the South Pole.  As you can see, the words are in large print.  The letters are clearly legible and easy to see.

It is always cold at the South Pole, but one day Perry finds a box.

Children will likely notice the fish in the icy waters and a ship in the background.  Perhaps it is a cargo ship.  After reading the story, you might talk about what goods might be on the ship and learn about what types of fish swim in the icy waters at the South Pole.

Perry sees something yummy inside the box.  Ask your child what might be inside the box.  Whatever it is, Perry is too cold to eat it so he goes to see his Grandpa to find out how he might get warm.

Grandpa Penguin tells Perry to try skating so he skates on a frozen lake.

Perry skated all morning long, but do you think he is warm enough to eat the yummy treat in the box?

Oh  my!  All that skating wasn't enough to warm Perry up so that he can eat whatever is inside that box!  Perry the penguin goes to see his grandma.  Grandma tells Perry how he can get warm.  Then he goes to see his sister, Pippi the Penguin.  Finally, Perry is warm enough to eat the treat inside the box.  You'll have to buy the book to find out what treat is inside the box.  No spoilers here!  :)

Your child will enjoy the story of Perry, Grandpa, Grandma, and Pippi the Penguins.  The pages are colorful and interesting.  They are vivid enough to keep your child interested but not over-stimulating.

Other topics to discuss while reading or after reading the book:

Where is the South Pole?
How cold is the water at the South Pole?
What kinds of fish swim in the icy waters?
What could the cargo ship be carrying?
Where might the ship be going?
Where might the ship have come from?
Could the box have fallen off the ship?
What do you think Grandma is is knitting?
What could sister, Pippi, be building?
What is an igloo?


After the story, there are puzzles at the back of the book.

In this puzzle, your young reader can try to find all six differences between the two pictures.  There are two other puzzles in the back of the book.  Your child will learn to read words to go with pictures and he or she will identify opposites.  There is an answer key at the end so your child can check his or her own answers if he or she is reading independently.

Get your copy of The Chilly Little Penguin by Russell Punter here.

If you would like to build a penguin theme around The Chilly Little Penguin, follow my Penguin Activities for Kids Pinterest Board.  The pins are not divided into grade levels but you can look around and save the activities that best fit your child's abilities and interests.

Don't forget to pin this post to your penguin board!

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The Read with Usborne Reading Program offers 4 levels.  The Chilly Little Penguin is part of the level one group.

Later this week, we will take a look at Elephants from the level 2 group, Stories of Dogs from the level 3 group, and Black Beauty from the level 4 group.  Stay tuned!

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Mary Kay

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