Childrens Book Review: The Puppy Book by Jan Pfloog

The Puppy Book is a Golden Super Shape Book. The story was written by Jan Pfloog and was first published in 1968. The illustrations are attractive. Children will enjoy this book!

The pages are colorful and feature all kids of breeds. Children learn that all puppies are not small. Some puppies are bigger than others. Some of thinner. Some are fatter. Some are shorter. Some are taller. The first page would be a great time to discuss the concepts of big, little, tall, short, large, and small to younger children.

Children learn that puppies come in different colors. Some are white. Some are black. Some are brown. Others have several colors.

Children learn that puppies are messy when they eat.

Children learn that puppies sometimes chew on things other than food.

Children learn that puppies like to play. They like to play with other dogs and sometimes even cats. They like to play "tug-of-war" with rags and ropes. They also like to chase balls.

Children learn that puppies like to rest when they get tired.

After reading the story, enhance the reading experience by encouraging the children to participate in creating a puppy graph. Give the children photographs or cut-outs of various puppy breeds. Tell them to place the tall puppies in the "tall" column and place the short puppies in the "short" column. Children might also enjoy a puppy color graph. Place brown puppies in the "brown" column. Place white puppies in the "white" column and so forth.

Discuss dog foods with children. Educate the children on the proper care and feeding of dogs and other animals. Address questions such as:

How much food should a puppy have each day?

(The amount of food varies depending on the puppy. Find out what kinds of dogs your students or children have and do a little research for the best answer to this question.)

What kinds of dog and puppy foods are best for certain dogs and puppies?

Is it healthy for a puppy to eat adult dog food?

Is it healthy for puppies to eat human food from the table?

(My veterinarians tell me that animals should not be fed table foods - although our dog loves Doritos and my husband slips him a few from time to time.)

Should dogs drink milk or just water?

(This also varies. Our veterinarian recommends water. Again, do a little research to determine the best answer to this question.)

Many children have puppies or other animals at home so they have probably experienced having an animal which chewed up mom or dad's favorite pair of slippers or tore the fabric on the living room furniture. Allow them to tell their puppy stories. Then, discuss ways in which pet owners might encourage animals not to chew on things other than food.

(I have yet to master this but I'm sure some of your students or children will have some good ideas.)

Allow the children to discuss all the different ways they play with their pets. Some of their stories might be quiet hilarious.

Make a classroom pet scrapbook. Ask the children to bring in photos of their pets. Place a photo of each child and their pet on a piece of construction paper. Leave enough room at the bottom of the page for the child to write a couple of sentences. Instruct the child to write a sentence or two about their pet. It might be as simple as "My dog's name is Charlie. He likes to run with me. I love my dog." Allow the children to be creative and write whatever they want about their pet, but help them when needed. Then, laminate the pages and attach them to create a book. Send the book home with a different student each night to read with their parents. Continue this until each child has had a chance to take the book home. Then, leave it in your reading center for the remainder of the year so that the children may enjoy the book whenever they like.