Guinea Dog by Patrick Jennings

Guinea Dog written by Patrick Jennings, (published 2010). 510L  3.2RL Grades 3-6.  This book is a light-hearted story of a how a boy overcomes his disappointment and frustration when his parents do not give him the pet he wants.

Kirkus Reviews (March 15, 2010)

A humorous story about an unusual pet. Rufus has but one wish--a dog. His stay-at-home Dad does not agree. His list of reasons not to get a dog extends over two pages. Rufus's sympathetic mom brings home a guinea pig, which Rufus has expressly said he does not want. To his surprise, though, the guinea pig (which he sullenly names Fido) behaves like a dog! She obeys every command Rufus gives her, plays tug-o'-war and even chews shoes. His best friend wishes she were his when, during a Frisbee game, out of nowhere, she retrieves the disc and brings it to Rufus. The family decides to return Fido to the pet store, but a classmate is willing to buy her to replace her hamster--and it's then that Rufus begins to have second thoughts. Jennings provides no explanation as to why Fido acts like a dog, asking readers to accept the absurdity along with Rufus. The school characters are fairly one dimensional, but the undeniably funny plot moves along, and readers into beginning chapter books should enjoy this wry story of wish fulfillment. (Animal fantasy. 7-9)

This book has been a hit with every group of students of mine. Its funny, it has a meaningful problem to many children, and its a quick read. It is always a bonus when my students think they are just listening to a funny, light-hearted story about another's person's problems, and they come to realize that they themselves have acted in a similar manner sometime in their own life when things aren't going their way. My students empathize with Rufus as he struggles to accept this little guinea pig that he didn't want. It is nice that Rufus redeems himself in the end and realizes that Fido is everything he could ever want in a pet. 

by Liz Stafford

Piggie Pie by Margie Palatini

Piggie Pie by Margie Palatini  (Published in 1995).   32 Unnumbered pages. 420L.  R.L. 2.5 Grades 2-3.  Piggie Pie I must have Piggie Pie, but where can I find 8 plump piggies?

Booklist starred (Vol. 92, No. 1 (September 1, 1995))

Ages 5-8. This is definitely not your run-of-the-mill Halloween picture book, even though Gritch the Witch certainly looks her part (though a bit more trendy), with a pointy hat, a gap-toothed grin, vicious green fingernails, and two beauteous moles on her face. She acts her part, too, swaggering, greedy, and just plain impatient, as she brooms off to Old MacDonald's Farm in search of eight plump porkers for her favorite pie. But Palatini deftly turns the tables on Gritch, whose own sense of importance (and the skywritten warning "Surrender Piggies!" ) gives her victims time to implement a plan to save their bacon. When hungry Gritch arrives at the farm, she can't find a single pig. Instead, she finds a wolf, whom she slyly invites home: "I always enjoy having a wolf for lunch." The wry, peppery dialogue is simply great ("Look, Shorty, I've been quack-quacked here, moo-mooed there, and clucked-clucked everywhere all over this farm" ), and Palatini's allusions to popular children's stories from The Wizard of Oz to the "Three Little Pigs" will delight kids. So will Fine's bold, expressive artwork, which gives wicked Gritch a comic audacity that makes her trouncing all the better. A sardonically humorous, rip-roaring yarn that can be enjoyed all year round.

Piggie Pie is a read aloud that I am anxious to start every year.  Poor Gritch the Witch, more than anything else she is craving Piggie Pie.  She checks her recipe and pantry and she has everything she needs to make Piggie Pie except for 8 Plump Piggies.  This story is delightfully written as she scours the local farm for her piggies, but can find only suspicious looking ducks, chickens, lumpy cows and an Old McDonald who really doesn't look much like his picture.  I read this book with 2nd graders every year, then I assign parts to students and we enjoy a Reader's Theater activity the next day with everyone in the class having a part in the play.  On the author's website, www.margiepalatini.com,  you can download the reader's theater for duplication.  It is always a fun day on the farm with Piggie Pie

by Margo Irving

Rain Reign by Ann M. Martin

Rain Reign by Ann M. Martin (published in 2014). 234 pages. 720L. R.L 4.3. Grades 3-6.  Yes, that's dog on the cover.  Yes, it is another dog book.  Yes, it is totally worth the read.

Kirkus Reviews starred (September 1, 2014)

A story about honorable living in the autistic-narrator genre that sets the bar high. Rose has a diagnosis of Asperger's, and her world of comforting homonyms, rules and prime numbers is repeatedly challenged by social interactions of which she has no innate understanding. Newbery Honor author Martin crafts a skillful tale that engages readers' sympathy for everyone portrayed in the story, even Rose's garage-mechanic, hard-drinking single father. He has given Rose a stray dog he found after an evening of drinking at the local bar, and Rose names her Rain. Through touching and funny scenes at school--where Rose has an aide but is in a regular classroom--and discomfiting scenes at home, readers come to understand how Rose's close relationship to Rain anchors her. But Rain goes missing during a storm, and when, with the help of her sympathetic uncle, Rose finds her dog weeks later, she is told that Rain was microchipped and actually belongs to someone else. Since following rules is vital to Rose, she must find Rain's original owners and give her dog back. Martin has penned a riveting, seamless narrative in which each word sings and each scene counts. There is no fluff here, just sophisticated, emotionally honest storytelling. (Fiction. 8-12)

Deciding what makes this book such a great read aloud is difficult.  When I think about the powerful story, I lean toward the characters.  They are more than they first appear to be.  Rose frustrates her father, classmates, and even the reader by her choices, but, in the end, her choices are what endear her to the reader.  When I think about the way Martin weaves homonyms into the story, I lean toward the word play.  Either way, the students in my fifth grade class loved it, it and inspired many to keep their own lists of homonyms.

by Kellie Hale