Great
Dog Books with Units to Guide Literature Circles
Most
of these dog books are in your library! (If can't find them,
you can order them by clicking the title below.) They represent
every genre! Check out two
or three copies of each for your class. Let students choose
their favorites and form literature groups. Give them copies
of the unit to guide them to find the special treasure inside
each book, to develop valuable skills, to problem solve,
and to help them work together as a group! Dogs are strong
in character and can reach many "unreachable"
children!
Book:
Lewis and Clark and Me --
by Laurie Myers--Meriwether Lewis's dog, Seaman, tells the
story of his adventures on the famous expedition to find
a waterway across North America. Historical
Fiction.
Unit in Mountains and Valleys.
Book:
Akiak,
A Tale of the Iditarod --
by Robert Blake--Beautiful picture book about a dog's courage
and perseverance in the Iditarod --fiction--
Unit in Tales for Two Centuries-- Website
Book:
Because
of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo--fiction--"The
best book we ever read" --Website--Unit
in Roots and Wings
Book:
Bigger
by Patricia Calvert --historical
fiction--Awesome Post-Civil War Saga--Unit
in Bluebonnet Celebrations
Book:
How
to Talk to Your Dog by Jean Craighead George--nonfiction--Cute
picture book on training your dog-- Website--Unit
in Roots and Wings
Book:
Love
That Dog by Sharon Creech--A
story in blank verse poetry
about a boy who loved a dog and learned to write about it----Website--Unit
in Defeating Giants
Book:
The
Mightiest Heart by Lynn Cullen--Medieval
folktale--The character of a dog teaches
a valuable lesson in this picture book set in medieval times--Website--Unit
in Defeating Giants
Book:
My
Life in Dog Years, Autobiography by Gary Paulsen--A
terrific autobiography
in which the author remembers the different periods in his
life by the beloved dogs that walked with him--Website--Unit
in Tales for Two Centuries
Book:
Shelter
Dogs by Peg Kehret Website--A
wonderful collection of true
stories about shelter dogs that became famous--Unit
in Tales for Two Centuries
Book:
Shiloh
Season by Phyllis Reynolds
Naylor--fiction--Award
winning sequel to Newbery Medalist Shiloh, awesome! Unit
in Character Connections
Book:
Tornado
by Betsy Byars --fiction--
Powerful, easy-reading chapter book about the love between
a boy and a dog!--Unit in Character
Connections
Book:
Faith
and the Electric Dogs by Patrick Jennings --Fantasy
set in Mexico--Unit in Heart of
the Hero
Thunder
from the Sea by Joan Hiatt
Harlow--Exciting historical
fiction set in Newfoundland. Unit in Light
in the Darkness.
Another
FANTASTIC dog story:
Star in the Storm by Joan Hiatt Harlow
