REVIEW: Puppies! Puppies! Puppies!

Meyers, S.  (2005).  Puppies!  Puppies!  Puppies!  New York:  Harry N. Abrams, Inc.

0810958562

First off, let me tell you, when you type "Puppies!  Puppies!  Puppies!" over and over again the word starts to lose all meaning.  While "Kittens!  Kittens!  Kittens!" is by the same writing and illustrating team, I don't think I could handle reviewing that book too.  At least not this week.  Too much fun with words.

This light and fun poem serves as a good introductory to puppies and how they grow.  The illustrations are light and show puppies (there's that word again) at their cutest and most troublesome (but still adorable).  

What I found interesting is that this book also implies ways to help train dogs.  The idea of "going off to school" could also appeal to children going off to preschool or kindergarten for the first time.  The growth of the puppies, could provoke a conversation with a toddler about how they will grow and go to school too.

Activities to do with the book:

 

 This book would be great for any toddler or other young child who likes puppies or is about to get one as a pet.  They could gain a lot of wonderful adjectives to help them describe dogs and other animals in the future.

This would also be a great book for students that are learning English as their second language, since it also includes language pairs like here and there, small and tall, old and young, etc.

This book could also be paired with an introductory lesson on nutrition, a dog's growth process and the need for children to help obedience train their new dog.

 

In a preschool, this may be a good book to share before snack time.  After the reading, the children could pretend to be puppies and could do doggy tricks to "earn" their treats.

Favorite Quotes:

 

"Puppies big and puppies small,

Puppies short and puppies tall.

Spotty, wrinkly shaggy puppies,

Bouncy, wriggly, waggy puppies."

 

"Puppies going off to school,

Collars, leashes, that's the rule.

Learning how to sit and stay,

Getting treats when they obey."

 

To find out more about illustrator David Walker's most recent book, Crocodaddy, check out these other blogs:

A Christian Worldview of Fiction, A Mom Speaks, A Pathcwork of Books, All About Children’s Books, Becky’s Book Reviews, Booking Mama,Cafe of Dreams, Dolce Bellezza, Fireside Musings, KidzBookBuzz.com, Looking Glass Reviews, Maw Books Blog, Never Jam Today, Olive Tree, Our Big Earth, Reading is My Superpower, SMS Book Reviews, The 160 Acrewoods, Through a Child’s Eyes