Chapter Book #1
Author: Kate DiCamillo
Title: Mercy Watson to the Rescue
Illustrator: Chris Van Dusen
Readability score: Kindergarten to Grade 2
Genre: Fiction
Subgenre: Humor
Theme: Everyone has a purpose. Love is unconditional.
Primary and secondary characters: Mercy Watson, Mr. and Mrs. Watson, Eugenia Lincoln, Baby Lincoln, Ned, Lorenzo
Awards: N/A
Date of Publication: 2005
Publishing company: Candlewick Press
ISBN number: 0-7636-2270-2
Mercy Watson to the Rescue is a short chapter/picture book. Mercy Watson is a pig who lives with Mr. and Mrs. Watson. They feed her buttered toast, which is her very favorite food. Mr. and Mrs. Watson sing her to sleep one night and she feels very happy and content, until they turn off the light. Mercy gets scared so she goes to sleep with Mr. and Mrs. Watson. They do not mind and Mercy is happy again. They all go to sleep and dream sweet dreams. While they are sleeping, the floor underneath the bed starts to fall. Mercy moves to the end of the bed and makes it even worse. Mr. Watson says that they need to call the fire department, but they can't because they can't move. They are trapped! Mercy jumps off the bed, because she is hungry. She has seemingly forgotten all about the problem at hand. She goes in search of food, forgetting Mr. and Mrs. Watson. She decides to go next door because Baby Lincoln will feed her. Baby Lincoln's older sister, Eugenia, is of the opinion that pigs do not belong in the house. Mercy goes next door and taps on Baby's window. Baby wakes up and thinks there is a monster. She calls for Eugenia to call the fire department to come help. Eugenia goes to Baby's room and quickly realizes that it is not a monster, but Mercy. Eugenia gets very angry and races after Mercy. She chases her around the yard until Ned and Lorenzo come from the fire department. While Eugenia is still chasing Mercy, Ned and Lorenzo hear Mr. and Mrs. Watson calling from the house. They save them from the falling bed just as it falls through the floor. They all go outside to find Mercy and Eugenia on the ground, tired. Mrs. Watson invites everyone in for breakfast. They eat toast, in honor of Mercy, the hero.
This book could be used for struggling readers. It could help students with fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. I would use this book as part of a running record or reading inventory. The book is full of onomatopoeia. This literary element is crucial for students to be aware of because these words imitate their meaning. Once the student can read the word, they can better comprehend the meaning. This book also contains compound vocabulary words, such as earthquake, outside, windowpane, anymore, somebody, and something. Even though the book is silly, it does have essential elements of reading. This book can be used in discussions about theme and the author's style. The book has obvious humor, but I could lead a discussion on what the students think about Mercy. What kind of character is she? Do you like her? Do you dislike her? Why? Do you think that Mr. and Mrs. Watson should treat her like a hero? Why? Could Mercy be a little bit spoiled?
Mercy Watson to the Rescue is a short chapter/picture book. Mercy Watson is a pig who lives with Mr. and Mrs. Watson. They feed her buttered toast, which is her very favorite food. Mr. and Mrs. Watson sing her to sleep one night and she feels very happy and content, until they turn off the light. Mercy gets scared so she goes to sleep with Mr. and Mrs. Watson. They do not mind and Mercy is happy again. They all go to sleep and dream sweet dreams. While they are sleeping, the floor underneath the bed starts to fall. Mercy moves to the end of the bed and makes it even worse. Mr. Watson says that they need to call the fire department, but they can't because they can't move. They are trapped! Mercy jumps off the bed, because she is hungry. She has seemingly forgotten all about the problem at hand. She goes in search of food, forgetting Mr. and Mrs. Watson. She decides to go next door because Baby Lincoln will feed her. Baby Lincoln's older sister, Eugenia, is of the opinion that pigs do not belong in the house. Mercy goes next door and taps on Baby's window. Baby wakes up and thinks there is a monster. She calls for Eugenia to call the fire department to come help. Eugenia goes to Baby's room and quickly realizes that it is not a monster, but Mercy. Eugenia gets very angry and races after Mercy. She chases her around the yard until Ned and Lorenzo come from the fire department. While Eugenia is still chasing Mercy, Ned and Lorenzo hear Mr. and Mrs. Watson calling from the house. They save them from the falling bed just as it falls through the floor. They all go outside to find Mercy and Eugenia on the ground, tired. Mrs. Watson invites everyone in for breakfast. They eat toast, in honor of Mercy, the hero.
This book could be used for struggling readers. It could help students with fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. I would use this book as part of a running record or reading inventory. The book is full of onomatopoeia. This literary element is crucial for students to be aware of because these words imitate their meaning. Once the student can read the word, they can better comprehend the meaning. This book also contains compound vocabulary words, such as earthquake, outside, windowpane, anymore, somebody, and something. Even though the book is silly, it does have essential elements of reading. This book can be used in discussions about theme and the author's style. The book has obvious humor, but I could lead a discussion on what the students think about Mercy. What kind of character is she? Do you like her? Do you dislike her? Why? Do you think that Mr. and Mrs. Watson should treat her like a hero? Why? Could Mercy be a little bit spoiled?
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