  | Mercy Watson to the rescue (Mercy Watson) Author: DiCamillo, Kate | |
| Price: $15.44 | ||
Summary:
After Mercy the pig snuggles to sleep with the Watsons, all three awaken with the bed teetering on the edge of a big hole in the floor.
| Illustrator: | Van Dusen, Chris |
Download a Teacher's Guide| Accelerated Reader Information: Interest Level: LG Reading Level: 2.70 Points: .5 Quiz: 88160 | Reading Counts Information: Interest Level: K-2 Reading Level: 2.30 Points: 3.0 Quiz: 37282 | |
Common Core Standards
Grade 1 → Reading → RL Reading Literature → 1.RL Key Ideas & Details
Grade 1 → Reading → RL Reading Literature → 1.RL Integration of Knowledge & Ideas
Grade 1 → Reading → RL Reading Literature → 1.RL Range of Reading & Level of Text Complexity
Grade 2 → Reading → RL Reading Literature → 2.RL Key Ideas & Details
Grade 2 → Reading → RL Reading Literature → 2.RL Craft & Structure
Grade 2 → Reading → RL Reading Literature → 2.RL Integration & Knowledge of Ideas
Grade 2 → Reading → RL Reading Literature → 2.RL Range of Reading & Level of Text Complexity
Grade 2 → Reading → CCR College & Career Readiness Anchor Standards fo
Grade 3 → Reading → RL Literature → 3.RL Key Ideas & Details
Grade 3 → Reading → RL Literature → 3.RL Craft & Structure
Grade 3 → Reading → RL Literature → 3.RL Integration & Knowledge of Ideas
Reviews:
Kirkus Reviews (09/01/05)
School Library Journal (10/05)
Booklist (+) (08/01/05)
The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books (12/05)
Full Text Reviews:
School Library Journal - 10/01/2005 K-Gr 2-Mercy Watson, a disarmingly charming pig adopted by a loving human family, makes her debut in this new series of chapter books for beginning readers. After the Watsons tuck Mercy into bed with a sweet song and a kiss, she feels "warm inside, as if she has just eaten hot toast with a great deal of butter on it." However, afraid of the dark, she snuggles into bed with the couple. Moments later, all three are rudely awakened from their lovely dreams with a "BOOM!" as their bed falls into a hole that has opened in the floor beneath them. In hot pursuit of buttered toast, "the porcine wonder" inadvertently gets help and saves the day. Along the way, she causes great, humorous distress to the next-door Lincoln sisters. Van Dusen's bright gouache illustrations have a jovial exaggerated style and capture the sometimes frantic action and silliness of Mercy's "heroic" escapade.-Lee Bock, Glenbrook Elementary School, Pulaski, WI Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information. - Copyright 2005 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.
Bulletin for the Center... - 12/01/2005 In the opening pages of this easy reader, Mercy Watson, beloved pig of Mr. and Mrs. Watson, experiences the familiar nighttime sequence of getting tucked into bed, starting to feel scared, and sneaking into the safety of her caretakers’ bed. When the bed starts to fall through the floor, the three sleepy Watsons are suddenly faced with an emergency. Unbeknownst to the Mr. and Mrs., Mercy’s gallant leap from the falling double bed is not in fact motivated by bravery but by a sudden hankering for “hot toast with a great deal of butter on it.” No matter the intent, Mercy manages to wake the next-door neighbors (a cranky old lady, who believes ardently that “pigs belong on farms,” and her more compassionate sister), who call the fire department, who eventually get the Watsons safely out of the bed and into the kitchen, where the Watsons, the firefighters, and the sisters all join together for toast. The simple plot trajectory of this short novel is supported by the careful placement of recurring motifs (most notably, toast), while the Watsons’ resounding love for their pig carries the emotional weight. DiCamillo employs enough creative word choices to elevate the story beyond the controlled vocabulary of a first reader, yet the short chapters, large font, double spacing, and easygoing narrative make it approachable for transitional readers. Van Dusen’s compositions have a retro feel—the palette revels in 1950s peaches, teals, and golds, while the figures have a Fisher-Price roundness—and they exude life and energy; the slick highlights give shine to the wide-eyed, open-mouthed faces of the cast. Young readers are likely to anticipate seeing more of this “porcine wonder” in future titles. - Copyright 2005 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois.
Booklist - 08/01/2005 *Starred Review* Oh, Mercy, what a pig! Mercy is a fat little porker, a beloved member of the Watson family. When Mr and Mrs. Watson sing her a happy morning song, she feels as warm inside as buttered toast. But when the lights go off, Mercy is so scared she gets in bed with the Watsons. The bed breaks under the weight, which leads to a series of hysterical events. The Watsons think Mercy is on the way to call the fire department, when, in fact, she wants to see if next-door neighbor Baby Lincoln has any buttered toast. After another misunderstanding and a merry chase, the firemen arrive--just in time to rescue the Watsons, who are about to fall through the floor. Mercy is a heroine (to the Watsons, at least), resulting in more songs and towers of toast. Appropriate as both a picture book and a beginning reader, this joyful story combines familiar elements (the unexpected heroine, the mean neighbor) with a raucous telling that lets readers in on the joke. Van Dusen’s artwork is also spot-on. The gouache illustrations are polished to a sheen and have plenty of heft. The characters are exaggerated with a vintage cartoon flair; Mercy, for instance, looks like a piggy bank that has sprung to life. Another jolly adventure about Mercy is in the works. - Copyright 2005 Booklist.
