The Puppy Who Wanted a Boy

The Puppy Who Wanted a Boy

Author: Jane Thayer

Illustrator: Lisa McCue

Theme: Adventure, Christmas
Genre: Fiction, Christmas
Grade: Kindergarten

Summary: Petey is a puppy who only wants a boy for Christmas this year, but boys are in short supply. When he goes out on his own in search for a boy, he finds himself tired, lonely and still without a boy. He finally comes across a home for boys, where he finally is able to find a boy of his own.

            This is an interesting twist on Christmas. Many stories that are written are written in the perspective of the boy wanting a puppy, and this version has a nice twist to it.

Pre-reading Activity: Before reading this book, because it is based around Christmas time, but does not mention anything about Santa, discuss with the students what kinds of things that they are hoping to receive as gifts around the holiday season. If you have students who celebrate different holidays this would be a good time to discuss the differences that the children have, in their experiences with receiving gifts around the holiday season.

Post-Reading Activity: After reading the story, have the students continue with the story. Have them write their own stories on what happens when they go and find the puppy’s mother to ask if the puppy can stay with the boys. You can either write this story as a round robin with the whole class, or they can be written individually, and draw pictures to accompany their stories.

About the Author: Jane Thayer is the pen name for Catherine Woolley. She was born in 1904 and died in 2005. During her career she wrote 86 children’s books under her pen name and wrote other older children and adult books under her real name. She is a 1927 graduate from the University of California. She started off as an advertising copywriter and a freelance writer, she then moved up to a copywriter for publicity. She eventually found a desk job as a production editor in the early 1940’s. She was able to move up to the position of public relations writer, and by this time she had started writing and publishing children’s books of her own. In 1947 she quit her public relations job to become a full time writer. Her hometown, the seaside village of Truro, MA, honored her in 1996 by naming its children's reading room after her.

About the Illustrator: Lisa McCue is a very sought after illustrator today. She has illustrated over 175 books in the past 30 years. When she was in school her teachers were always telling her that her pictures should be in children’s books. She published her first children’s book while she was in college. She now is still illustrating children’s books as well as greeting cards.

 Thayer, J. (2005).The Puppy Who Wanted A Boy. New York:HarperCollins.Grade K