Why I Picked It Up: This was on the new picture book shelf (always my first stop!) at our new library! It had a dog on the front, so my 19-month-old enthusiastically shoved it into my book bag. I was captivated by the simple title and the whimsical illustration of the puppy on the front. As I was doing the obligatory “flip through,” I was excited to discover the simplicity of the story as well, which is great for my just-learning-to-read PreK kiddo!
Why I Finished It: Besides meeting the reading needs of my two kids (puppy for the little one and simple text for the bigger one), it was a great story too! And as with most “simple” stories, of course, there was a great deal of depth to it that made for some great conversation.
It could *almost* be considered a wordless picture book, and could definitely be used in a storytime as such because there are only two words on each page (sometimes four, if there are two distinctly different images on the page). The whole story of Good Dog is told through adjectives describing what the dog is doing or feeling. The author is very talented and did a great job of bringing to life the character of this little stray dog and illustrating his journey through a big city to find his place. There certainly is a lot of emotion wrapped up in each page of Good Dog! Even if you can’t read the text, the illustrations can be read and understood by even the youngest child.
Who I Would Give It To: What a versatile book! This is a great mentor text for so many things in elementary, and even early middle school! It’s also a great read-aloud for a story time for toddlers through preschool age.
Integration Ideas
Context Clues
Doerrfeld does a masterful job of selecting powerfully descriptive adjectives. They aren’t obscure, in fact, they are words that most students probably use quite frequently but might not really understand the fullness of what it means.
Whether your students are looking at defining the word for the first time or expanding their depth of meaning, the illustrations in Good Dog can provide extensive context clues!
Use a whiteboard app (we like ShowMe but use your own favorite flavor) and take a picture of one of the pages. Then, have the students explain what the adjective means, drawing attention to the parts of the picture that they see as clues to the definition.
You could also use VoiceThread and have multiple students give their interpretation of the meaning of the word so that students are exposed to multiple perspectives!
Writing – Word Choice
Take the above idea one step further (for the students who are ready) and look at alternative adjectives. Some of the word used in Good Dog are on the “no-fly” list for elementary writers – good, bad, sad, happy. After determining what the word means by using the clues from the story, have students use a thesaurus to come up with three or four alternative adjectives that might help the reader better understand the feeling conveyed in the story. Then have the students go and find one of those words to replace in their own writing.
Reading and Media Literacy
Good Dog is a great book to use to help analyze how text and images work together to create meaning. Read the text to the students without letting them see the pictures, then have the students respond to the story. Next, read the story aloud, but show the pictures this time and have students respond to the story again.
How will you use this book?
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