Henry and his big dog Mudge attend a family reunion.

Henry was going to a family reunion with his dog, Mudge. He was nervous about going and what people would think about him and Mudge. When they got to the reunion they had a great time and everyone, especially his cousin Annie, loved Mudge. This is a perfect book for first graders. It has a lot of pictures and even if the students are unable to read, they will be able to understand what the story is about through pictures. The vocabulary in the story is simple to understand. It is a good book for kids with dogs and when they are learning about family interactions. ( )

I have a lot of respect for Henry's mom. In some ways I want to be her, with a big porch & yard & trees, and long dresses and bare feet - but I don't want a huge slobbery dog, thank you. ( )

A very simple book, for early readers. This book is easily relate-able to students as typically students have interacted with distant friends or relatives. It creates opportunities for inference based discussion, retelling, prediction, synthesizing and comprehension. Given the simplicity of the text it can be used independently at grade level 2 and for guided reading k-1. Teacher could make connections to geography, based on locations of Henry and his relatives. Also, teacher may investigate why a dog my dribble so much, connecting story to science. ( )

This book is an easy chapter book for young readers. There aren't too many words on a page, but it's still long enough to give the feel of a chapter book. I think that's more of the focus than the content. There isn't really a message or a lesson in the story, but there's a big emphasis placed on family and friendship. Henry enjoyed his family; it said his relatives "were fun." He also said that Mudge is "the best family of all." ( )