Mercy Watson to the Rescue: Mercy Watson, Book 1
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A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this book.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Newbery Medal and Honor winner Kate DiCamillo's Mercy Watson to the Rescue is a lighthearted story of a "porcine wonder" named Mercy Watson that's mostly a comical misadventure involving Mercy’s passion for hot toast with a great deal of butter on it. It also is a tribute to the safe feeling a scared child can get crawling into bed with her caregivers and the unconditional love grown-ups can feel for those they're responsible for. Some extremely light peril occurs when Mercy’s weight causes her parents’ bed to fall through the floor. The colorful illustrations, large text, and white space on the page make this an excellent book for new readers just graduating to chapter books.
Community Reviews
Engaging beginning chapter books for young readers
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What's the Story?
Mercy Watson, a pig, is much beloved by Mr. and Mrs. Watson, who sing her to sleep every night. One night, Mercy gets scared of the dark after they tuck her in. When she crawls into bed with Mr. and Mrs. Watson, her fear disappears and she feels as cozy as can be. However, the added weight of Mercy in the bed turns out to be just a little more than the floorboards can bear. As the bed begins to fall through a hole in the floor, endangering Mr. and Mrs. Watson, oblivious Mercy jumps out of bed in search of her favorite treat: warm toast with a great deal of butter on it. While the Watsons cry for help, Mercy encounters a neighbor who's not particularly fond of pigs. Chaos ensues, and the fire department is called. Meanwhile, the Watsons are still falling, absolutely sure that their dear Mercy has run for help.
Is It Any Good?
Mercy’s joyful smile is contagious, and readers will mirror the doting looks on Mr. and Mrs. Watson’s faces as they gaze upon the "porcine wonder" that is Mercy. The pacing of MERCY WATSON TO THE RESCUE is fast and fun, as mix-ups abound but all turns out well.
The colorful gouache illustrations are vivid and have a cartoony flair, and the large font with plenty of white space on the page makes this an excellent book for new readers just graduating to chapter books.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the misunderstandings that lead to ultimate success, and the interesting way the pig is treated like a child rather than an animal, which annoys at least one neighbor.
What do you like about reading funny stories? Can you think of some other books that take an absurd situation such as Mercy’s passion for toast and make a story of it?
What do you think of how the family treats Mercy like a child? Have you seen your family or neighbors treat dogs and cats that way?
Book Details
- Author: Kate DiCamillo
- Illustrator: Chris Van Dusen
- Genre: Animals
- Topics: Adventures, Horses and Farm Animals
- Book type: Fiction
- Publisher: Candlewick Press
- Publication date: October 22, 2005
- Publisher's recommended age(s): 6 - 9
- Number of pages: 68
- Last updated: December 13, 2019
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