The book cover seemed to grab my chin and say, “Look at me.” I love the adorable cartoonish dog with its tail wagging. Patrick McDonnell has created a comic strip MUTTS that features dogs and cats. I love the book, Wag!
I have had a great interest in finding books that appeal to boys. This year has been an experiment in some ways. As a literacy coach, I go to a first grade and fourth grade classroom weekly to read a new book. Upon finding Wag!, I shared it first with the first graders. They are an energetic bunch and with our sense of community, they are very open with their opinions. So, when I received an overwhelming interaction throughout the read aloud, I realized the book was a prize to keep! You see, some of the boys would rather look into space than read. They don’t hate reading; they just have cars, games, and the outside on their minds – not books.
Wag! grabbed their attention, and the class was verbalizing their thoughts. They gave me a final two thumbs up – high in the air – on this book.
Savorings for reading and in writing for Wag!:
- Voice – Patrick McDonnell talks to the reader
- Onomatopoeia – Fwip
- Speech Bubbles
- Drawing Conclusions – the reader is asked why the dog’s tail wags
- Sentence Variety – with the short text, you can teach several structures within a sentence
Posted by MaryHelen 
March freshness is upon me. Today, I took a walk with my husband and daughter, a fresh spirited walk through sunshine. I am ready to be done with winter, the bitter cold and grayish days. I am ready to see sunshine and green grass, tulips and flowering bushes. I am ready to be rejuvenated with the freshness of green this month will bring. Today I begin again. March freshness is upon me.
Book Savors 