Author: Carolyn Crimi
Illustrator: Lynn Munsinger
Interest Level: Ages 4-8
Why It's On My Bookshelf: There is a bigger message than the importance of having a friend in this book. I didn't figure this out until my third or fourth reading. It started with a new question I posed, "How could Rat and Dog have prevented being so angry in the first place?" We all agreed they had a loss in their lives causing their anger and sadness. But what should we do when we feel like that? Take it out on everyone around us like Rat and Dog or talk about our feelings? When my students get to hear how important it is for their feelings to be validated and figure out a better way to cope.
So I sort of went a different direction with this book, but you can also focus on the importance of friendships and why we need them. The kids also LOVED hearing Rat and Dog's dialogue back and forth. Because behind the anger, we all knew they actually cared about each other.
A Link To This Book:
i love teaching with picture books, so i am glad i found this blog! thanks for the great review:)
ReplyDeleteThanks for reviewing this book. I particularly like that you gave a suggestion for digging deeper into the meaning. Thanks!
ReplyDelete-Christina S.
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