SLJ Review of Books 1 and 2 of The Read and Write Series: “. . .fill(s) a niche for teachers. . .” (5/1/15)

When Dennis has to write a narrative essay, he naturally turns to his dog for something to write about. Recently, Mom asked Dennis to put a leash on Clark Kent so they could take the dog to the veterinarian for shots. Clark gave them all a merry chase! There’s lots of action to love here—and great verbs for Dennis’s narrative essay.

THE READ AND WRITE SERIES
I Want a Dog: My Opinion Essay, Book 1
I Want a Cat: My Opinion Essay, Book 2
My Crazy Dog: My Narrative Essay, Book 3
My Dirty Dog: My Informative Essay, Book 4 (Spring, 2016)

This is the third installment in The Read and Write Series. Children's book author and writing teacher, Darcy Pattison, entertains kids while also teaching them how-to-write.

PRAISE for I WANT A DOG, FROM DOG EXPERTS
“Darcy Pattison does a remarkable job on several fronts with her wonderful new book I Want A Dog: My Opinion Essay. She introduces the value of the written text at an early age to children. This cannot be emphasized enough in our early classrooms. With this comes an important lesson regarding the responsibility of owning and caring for a dog. As President of the Labrador Retriever Club representing the breed with the largest number of dogs I know how imperative responsible dog ownership is and Darcy does a wonderful job instilling this at an early age. This is a remarkable children’s book that has a lesson.”
–Fred Kampo, President of the Labrador Retriever Club

PRAISE for I WANT A DOG, FROM SCIENCE EDUCATOR
“I find these books to be the perfect resource when teaching persuasive writing and opinion essay. Students are immediately interested in the engaging story, much more so than when introduced to this style of writing using an English text. The prompts included make for an excellent teacher resource and can be used an extension to the text, adding depth to the learning. “ Peggy Carlisle, NBCT, Director, NSTA Preschool/Elementary Division, President-Elect Society of Elementary Presidential Awardees, NSTA.

PRAISE for I WANT A CAT, FROM CAT EXPERTS
“This is an absolutely delightful book intended for children, but actually one that is informative for adults as well, it reinforces the importance of considering various factors when selecting a cat as a pet. The two cousins are exchanging thoughts about their lifestyles and priorities. They each have a vision of their ‘ideal cat.’ Though every cat is an individual, the book expresses the value of predictable personality traits and other characteristics of various pedigreed cat breeds. It is a charming story of the two children each going through the process of finding a cat who best fits their own preferences. The playful illustrations compliment the humorous and educational quality of the book.”
Joan Miller, Cahir, CFA Outreach and Education, Cat Fancier’s Association