More CPG Thoughts

Today we read Caldecott Honor Book The Stray Dog by Marc Simont. I asked the children to pick their favorite book we read this week to discuss.

Olivia: I like that doggy.  He is Willy.  I like Willy every time. He's my favorite pet dog. [I asked her how she felt when the dog catcher caught Willy.] That was bad! He has to go to the dog patch. So he got his leash. [The girl gave the dog catcher her hair ribbon, telling him it was Willy's leash.][Olivia points to the boy, who is removing his belt and telling the dog catcher it was Willy's collar.] He could save him!

Teagan: I liked this [Kitten's First Full Moon] best because the kitty jumped in the pond. I like this one. The kitty's climbing up the tree. She's a poor kitten because she fell down to get the moon. She's trying to get that moon. She thinks it's a bowl of milk. She's trying to drink the milk. She jumped in the pond. First she went on the grass. Then she jumped in the pond. [Flips to another illustration.] The bug got in her tongue. It was funny! The firefly.

Lindsey looked very carefully at the covers of Kitten's First Full Moon and The Stray Dog. I asked if she liked the dog book best, and she just wasn't quite sure. I asked if maybe she liked the cat book best. She smiled and said, "Yes!"

Aidan C.: I liked it because I liked the bathtub one. They have a dog in it with people. The girl was scrubbing the dog. The boy was turning up the water. [Turns to Willy-in-the-dog-catcher's-net illustration.] Hey! He didn't get his tail!

Maeve: I liked this [Kitten's First Full Moon] best because he licked the bowl of milk. I liked it because he jumped in the water because he wanted to get that milk. He thought it was milk.

Aria: [Ryan is looking over Aria's shoulder at the illustration.] I like the catcher one. I like it. I like Winnie. Winnie wags her tail a lot. [I ask who Winnie is.] Winnie lives at Aria's house. I like the sun setting. [In one of the illustrations.] I like this one. [Illustration shows the dog catcher chasing the dog.] He is dead.

Ryan: No! He's just hiding.

Aria: He got caught. The girl give her ribbon. [For a leash.] The boy is just like this. [Illustration shows the boys holding up his pants because he took his belt off to use as a collar. Aria pretends to hold up her pants and laughs.]

Ryan: [Looking at the bathtub illustration in which the kids are in the tub bathing the dog.] So the kid's hair is funny! [Flips to another illustration.] Look! "Here's his leash!" [Said in a sing-song voice, as if he -- Ryan -- is the boy in the story.] He's holding up his pants so they don't fall down and bring a policeman. I like the boy the best. He chased the dog.

Julianna: My favorite part was the dog catcher trying to catch the dog. It was funny! I was trying not to laugh.

Brady D. and Bob were not in school today, so they'll contribute to next week's CPG entry.

Random CPG Literacy Note: Teagan announced that he was making end papers while tracing circles on paper in a Mickey Mouse pattern in the writing corner. These are the moments that I live for in my teaching life!