Assessment 3: Blog home page
Hello and welcome to my reading guide: All about dogs!
All the titles included in this reading guide are available from your local library. The audience is intended for children 5 – 12 plus years. All the books are to help children learn and know more about wonderful dogs.
Introducing books to young children about what interests them, will help with language development and expand their vocabulary. Engaging children into actively reading is a very important vital part of their overall development and helps improve literacy. Books should be age appropriate and exciting for them which can motivate them to read.
Books with pictures are important towards supporting language development, reading with the pictures builds word skills and vocabulary. Making reading enjoyable and fun will encourage reading and not a task of hard work as this could discourage them.
I hope you find lots to love and learn from what has been included in this reading guide.
1.1. Title: Dogs Understanding your very best friend
Dogs Understanding your very best friend, was published by Andersen Press in 2021, Dr John Bradshaw was the author, paperback format; the genre is children’s non-fiction, dogs – juvenile literature, dogs – behaviour juvenile literature; age level 8 – 12 years.
This is a wonderfully written non-fiction easy to read book for children, supported with cute and funny illustrations that Dr John Bradshaw, a leading dog behaviour qualified expect, has provided and all the information to understand behaviour and useful facts, and teaches you how to totally care for your dog and friend. Dr Bradshaw has created a very appealing and engaging story about his dog named Rusty, and a day in his life with Rusty to explain how a dog lives their life governed by their sense of smell, and how they can recognise people, other animals and everything through their day by their sense of smell.
This is a great learning guide and handbook, especially for children, and would be excellent for anyone who has a dog and explains, so well, all you need to know in simple, straight forward and easy to understand language everything to increase your knowledge about dogs.
1.2. Title: Stick Dog takes out sushi.
Stick Dog takes out sushi, was published by Harper Collins in 2021, Tom Watson was the author, Andrew Elden the narrator, sound recording audio book – duration two hours format; the genre children’s audio book, animal fiction, humorous fiction; age 8 – 12 years.
This story was very funny and easy to listen to and hear from the audio book on the borrowed library iPad, about this crazy adventure, where Stick Dog and his other dog friends struggle with events, in their latest search for food quest, which was to find and eat some sushi. Stick Dog is a stray and so are his four friends, Karen, Mutt, Poo-poo and Stripes, and they all live together under the highway in a pipe. After finding tasty chopsticks and found out that they came from the lakeside sushi restaurant, Stick Dog and his friends set out to get some sushi and faced obstacles on their way, like a squirrel that distracted them, becoming adrift in a canoe, and dealing with rubbish bins, but they stayed determined with their goal to eat some sushi.
Tom Watson, the author, has written a series of several Stick Dog books, and they are interesting and funny stories that children will be attracted to and enjoy, and help improve language skills. Stick Dog has a wonderful character, because he is a good role model for children as he is caring, very understanding, a good listener, and very patient with his friends.
1.3. Title: How to be your dog’s best friend
How to be your dog’s best friend, was published by Thames and Hudson Ltd in 2023, Elena Bulay was the author, hardcover format; the genre is children’s, animal, picture book and non-fiction; age level is 8 – 12 years.
This is a true and brilliantly illustrated story about Lena and how her adopted rescue dog named Jo became the very best of friends. Lena tells how to look after, groom, train, feed and understand the behaviour of dogs, and you will learn many tips from the pictures and facts written throughout the book so you can know how to care for your dog to be your friend too!
This was an enjoyable book to read and one that children will love and learn from, it is very educational and from reading the book you could also learn about some of life’s lessons.
I could not put this book down until it was finished, and I am sure anyone will love to read this book about the true story of Lena and Jo the dog.
1.4. Title: A world of dogs.
A world of dogs a celebration of fascinating facts and amazing real-life stories for dog lovers, was published by Nosy Crow in 2023, Carlie Sorosiak was the author, hardcover format; the genre is children’s non-fiction, dog’s juvenile literature, human-animal relationships – juvenile literature; age level 6 – 9 years.
If you love dogs you will enjoy everything this book is presenting about dogs, it explores the history of dogs, delves into science of dog abilities, how they communicate, how they learn, understand and befriend people and help save lives; and jobs they do to support people, including how you will learn very interesting facts, and read some real true life amazing stories and about friendship with dogs.
There are many books available covering the topic of dogs, each book offers something extra that makes it special with interesting dog information and stories, this is one of those books. I love this book, the way it is presented, with colourful engaging pictures and everything supported with written explanations and backup stories, and educational information, all towards vastly increasing our knowledge of dogs. Children will love to read and will learn from this book.
1.5. Title: Fetch! A how to speak dog training guide
Fetch! A how to speak dog training guide, was published by National Geographic Partners in 2020, Aubre Andrus and Gary Weitzman were the authors, National Geographic Kids paperback the format; the genre is children’s non-fiction, pets for children and teenagers, animal and nature books for children and teenagers, educational material; age level is 8 plus years.
A beautifully presented photographic, National Geographic Kids book, where Dr Gary Weitzman, a qualified veterinarian explains everything in plain English, with very easy to read directions, how to train your dog, including every aspect about a dog, this is to help towards succeeding with tasks and the understanding of various hurdles with how to problem solve.
The National Geographic Kids should be congratulated for providing such an educational, very engaging and interesting book for children, providing excellent instructions, veterinary facts and tips to help children to be very responsible dog pet owners and supporting them with all the reading on the topic and information they need. A great book for children, lots of reading, and learning to happen, with beautiful photos, which they will love as it is written for them.
1.6. Title: Around the world in 80 dogs
Around the world in 80 dogs, was published by Welbeck Publishing Group in 2023, Kristyna Litten was the author, e-book format; the genre is children’s non-fiction, picture book, pets for children and teenagers, dog’s juvenile literature; age level is 8 plus years.
Children will love and enjoy reading this e-book as it visually presents beautifully illustrated pictures of eighty types of dogs from around the world and describes in detail very interestingly those with special talents, their origins, jobs they fulfil, unique features, ability to smell illnesses, dogs that have broken records, some have six toes, saved lives, and built the best of friend relationships with humans.
If children love dogs and enjoy reading about them, this book is captivating, and will explain amazing, interesting facts, about where the different types of dogs came from, the personal special things about each one of them in the book, it will engage children’s interest to read and will promote and develop the discovery of vast information from all the reading.
1.7. Title: Amazing dogs with amazing jobs
Amazing dogs with amazing jobs, was published by Penguin in 2019, Laura Greaves was the author, e-book format; the genre is children’s non-fiction, human-animal relationships – juvenile literature, service dogs – children’s non-fiction, dogs’ behaviour – juvenile literature; age level 9 – 11 years.
This book tells true stories about thirty amazing dogs that do very interesting and amazing jobs, from being an artist, blood donor, guide dog, canine actor, assistant dog at Bear Cottage, Dolphin spotting dog, Real estate model, Assistant director of Seagulls, and there are many more jobs that could be mentioned and not listed here, about how these dogs are helping people and can be trained to do all kinds of jobs.
The book has been set up as thirty chapters, one for each dog, the first page of each chapter has the dogs picture supported with a who am I statement, next page is their own individual Dog File, which explains their profile, name, job, location, dog breed, personality, key skills, workmates, working hours, best part of job, favourite rewards, and quirks. What follows in the chapter is six to seven pages about the amazing dog and his job and everything they have done.
This is an enlightening and engaging book about thirty incredible dogs and what they do, and I am sure children will find the e-book very educational, fascinating and interesting to read.
1.8. Title: Easy peasy awesome pawsome
Easy peasy awesome pawsome: dog training for kids was published by Blink Publishing in 2021, Steve Mann was the author, e-book format; the genre is children’s non-fiction, dogs – juvenile literature, dogs – training juvenile literature dogs-behaviour juvenile literature, age level 7 plus years.
The author of this book, Steve Mann, is a dog trainer, and teaches people how to be dog trainers professionally all around the world, and he wanted to share his knowledge and experiences with dogs for children and educate them with the best way to train their dog. A great book for children, one they will love that has been put together especially for them, with the best and easy to follow methods for training puppies and dogs, lots of picture supported steps to guide them, including the responsibility of dog ownership.
1.9. Title: Runt
Runt was published by Allen and Unwin in 2022, Graig Silvey was the author, hardcover format; the genre is children’s juvenile fiction, dog’s juvenile fiction, human – animal relationship and farm life fiction; age level is 8 plus years.
A wonderfully written easy to read book for children where the story is about Annie and Runt, her adopted stray dog, and the struggles and enormous challenges they go through to stop losing and save the family farm in their hometown of Upson Downs, from the local mean, greedy landowner that wanted the farm.
With courage, family and the towns people support, Runts innate talent and Annies’s initiative, they find a way to save their family’s home. The Story is educational and teaches lessons of life, friendship and villains and to never give up. A great read.
2.1. Title: Kipper’s Monster
Kipper’s Monster, was published by Hodder Children’s Books in 2019, Mick Inkpen was the author, board book format; the genre is children’s fiction, dogs and monsters juvenile fiction, fear of the dark juvenile fiction; age 3 plus years.
An adorable well written little adventure story, that children would love, about Kipper and his friend Tiger who wanted to test out his torch, so they decided to put up a tent and camp outside in the dark wood at nighttime, where they become scared of a monster shape appearing on the side of their tent. After working out it wasn’t a monster, they went home and put up a tent in the safety of Tiger’s house.
This board book with its beautifully colourful artwork of the characters, Kipper and Tiger, supported throughout the story visually, actually made it more attention grabbing and enticing towards the story, even though I am an adult I found this book interesting, and fun, I believe the written language is beyond a three year old level to read, and think it would have to be one to read to children at that age level, but a great book for older children to improve word vocabulary development and increase language skills, plus to read at bedtime that is calming and supports that there is no need to be afraid of the dark.
2.2. Web link number one.
This is a link to Carlie Sorosiak on the website vimeo.com, where she shares her story book, A world of dogs and explains various interesting details about the book.
2.4. Web link number three.
This link has been provided by The Hobart Book Shop, where they have arranged a YouTube book chat video of Craig Silvey the author of Runt, to personally speak about why and how he came to create the inspiring story of Runt, Annie and characters.
2.5. Web link number four.
This link provides the story of kipper’s Monster, where someone has uploaded the whole book, and read it out loud, page by page on YouTube.
2.6. Web link number five.
This link on YouTube plays the first episode of the Stick Dog series by Tom Watson, named the dogs search for food. Which might encourage children to want to read the rest of the book series.
2.7. References.
Andrus, Aubre & Weitzman, Gary, (author.) (2020). Fetch! : a how to speak dog training guide. National Geographic, Washington, D.C
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