Mercy Watson Chapter Book Love

You know that time of year when things slow down and you can almost see the warmer weather just within your reach? The time when you can breathe a little.

Well, I think that time is finally here for me.  All year it's been a race to keep my head above water.  It's not so much the actual teaching, just everything that goes along with it.  Paperwork, parents, PEP's, IEP's the list goes on...

My point, is that I've been B.U.S.Y but now I'm not.  I have more time to think, share, PIN, create, and reflect on what worked and what didn't.  I plan to share those tidbits with you! 

First, let me introduce you to a character I just fell in love with.  I happened to also make 17 out of 18 little 2nd graders fall in love with him too. His name is Mercy Watson. 

Kate DiCamillo is the author of the series that features this cutie above.  Mercy gets into hilarious scenarios that are interpreted by the humans in her life in hilarious ways. 

My favorite part is that the books are chapter books but they have words that are easy enough for almost all of my second graders yet there are parts that lead to really great vocabulary discussions.  I've used this series in my reading groups. My higher groups look up the vocabulary in the dictionary and use it in their writing and book reports. Whereas, my lower groups are able to still follow along and really dive into character traits, problem & solution,  text complexity and many other skills.  Basically, I'm finding there's something for everyone!

The first book we read was Mercy Watson Goes for a Ride.  We all completed the same class book report on this book (here). It allowed me to really see what areas the students struggled with. 

Peek inside the text...

Mercy's world revolves around hot buttered toast...and since those are adjectives...I'm all for it! 

Remember I said I was able to get 17/18 students to love Mercy...?

Well, one section of the book reports ask "Did you like this book?" and "Would you recommend this book to a friend?"  - My one little boy answered "No".  When asked why, he informed me that he didn't really like pigs because that's what his brother calls him! 

If you're looking for a new easy to understand and read chapter book series, this is definitely one that I recommend!