How Rocket Learned to Read by Tad Hills

How Rocket Learned to Read by Tad Hills
Rating: 5 S-T-A-R-S

This is one of the sweetest books I've ever read.  And it's about one of my favorite subjects of all time: reading! 

Grammy visited this weekend, and she joined us on our fairly regular Girls Outing.  Instead of going to the library we went to the bookstore--she offered to buy us a few new books.  I had spotted this one a week prior while Ben and I were hanging out at the train table at a different book store, and I totally fell in love with it.  I knew both Lorelei and Ben would love it, and, even better, appreciate it more when they learned to read.  So I chose this for Lorelei, and she chose a Richard Scary book.  (Thanks, Grammy!)

Rocket the dog happens across a little bird, who declares Rocket her new student.  Rocket just wants to take a nap.  But the wise little bird starts reading a story...first Rocket is just annoyed by the unwanted sound, but then he becomes caught up in the story.  The wise and crafty bird stops reading at a really good part, but the bird is already gone when Rocket looks up to find out what happens next.  The next day Rocket is there, bright and early, to learn to read.  They begin with the ending, of the story.


Rocket spells out winter things.

 The little bird then teaches him all the letters "of the wondrous, mighty, gorgeous alphabet."  I love that Tad Hills wrote that!  I love thinking that Lorelei will look at awe at the alphabet, a little like some look at the Mona Lisa or Mount Everest.  It IS wondrous!  It IS mighty!  It IS gorgeous!  I try to contain myself when I read the book out loud to them.

When fall turns to winter, the bird flies south and leaves Rocket to study on his own.  Which he does.  He practices writing the letters by marching big "A" and "B" and "C" paths in the snow.  He practices spelling all the things around him: D-I-G (in the snow), W-I-N-D (in his face), C-O-L-D (during winter), M-E-L-T (as Spring finally comes). 

He waits, tail wagging, for the bird to arrive, and, thanks to a good teacher and his own doggedness, he learns to read.  It just makes me so hopeful that Lorelei and Ben will always have wise and crafty teachers who are able to uncover in our children their own Rocket curiosity and doggedness.

This is SUCH a great book.  I haven't read a single one of the Duck & Goose books that Tad Hills has written, but now I want to after reading this book.  I love that when he did his book tour for this book, he brought the real Rocket, his shaggy dog.  I'm definitely a new fan of his!  If you're not yet a fan, read what he wrote on his "about me" section on his website: 

"I especially enjoy the responses I get from children when I ask if they have any questions or comments. 'Where do you get your ideas?  What's the difference between a book and a story?  My birthday is June 12th.  How do you make the cover shiny?  My Dad has socks like yours.  Do you have an agent?  Do you write the story first or draw the pictures?  How do you make a book?'  But what I love most is when a lower school kid smiles and says proudly, 'I'm writing a book.' "

Ok, this post is long enough.  But really--go get this book.