Mercy Watson Goes for a Ride (2006)

It turns out there is something Mercy Watson likes almost as much as hot buttered toast: car rides! But Mercy would really prefer to be the driver...and she seizes her chance when Baby Lincoln surprises Mr. Watson by stowing away in the back seat ("indulging in some folly"). Officer Tomilello, who has a habit of asking and answering his own questions, goes in pursuit. ( )

for classroom

I really loved this book for 3 reasons, First, I love the illustrations. Chris Van Dusen does a great job keeping the illustrations bright, colorful, and relevant to the text. For example, when Mercy is driving Mr. Watson's car, the illustrations perfectly portray how someone might feel if a pig took the wheel of their car! Mr. Watson is terrified and Mercy is having the time of her life. Secondly, I loved Mercy's character. Although she is a pig, she is a well developed character that has her own unique likes and dislikes. She is funny and cute and keeps readers wanting more. Her actions are unique for that of a pig, but they are fun and almost human-like. Finally, I really enjoyed the recurring theme of toast. Mercy's love of toast is brought up multiple times throughout the book. It keeps the reader reminded that Mercy is thought of as more of a human child to Mr. and Mrs. Watson, which is funny. If you asked Mercy Watson, she would say that the big idea of this story is that life is full of surprises - like a pig driving a car - but in the end, everything works out. ( )

I enjoyed reading this book because it grabbed my attention to see what was going to happen and kept me entertained throughout the book. I also thought this book was an easy read because of the short chapters, large text size, and emphasis on exclamations such as "Help me!" and "Oink!'. I enjoyed reading about Mercy Watson because she acts more like a pet dog than a pig. It was interesting to me to see the comparisons throughout. For example, when Mr. Watson and Mercy are both standing in the driveway ready to get in the convertible.
The central idea of this book, to me, was that there can be other pets besides a dog or cat or fish. Some people have pets that are way different than those animals. There may be people who live on farms with chickens and cows as their pets. It is good to know about various pets and animals at a young age, especially because a lot of children are unaware of certain animals. ( )

Mr. and Mrs. Watson’s pig, Mercy, goes on their traditional Saturday cruise after lunch every weekend. Having a pig ride in a car is displeases the Watson’s neighbors, the Lincoln family. One Saturday during their cruise, Officer Tomilello pulls over Mr. Watson and Mercy for having a pig ride in a car. To their surprise, one of the Lincolns, Baby, was looking for adventure and snuck into the car unknowingly. She surprises Mr. Watson who loses control of the car, but Mercy takes control of the car. She is then driving when she stops the car and is ejected out of the car. She lands safely, much to the delight of Mr. Watson, Mrs. Lincoln and the police officer. When the officer is about to write a ticket for the illegal activities going on, Mrs. Watson shows up and invited Officer Tomilello to their house for dinner and then all is forgiven. This book is a good book for high readers in the early elementary years. The story is fun and even a little crazy, but the story is engaging to students through the pictures and the text is easy to read. Good story for students to AR test on.