Author: Lyn Rossiter McFarlandIllustrator: Jim McFarland
Publisher: Farrar Straus Giroux, 2001
Genre: fiction
Themes: dogs, cats, tolerance, acceptance, emergencies
Age Level: 3 to 6
Grade Range: p to 1
Grade Range: p to 1
Opening: Widget was a little stray dog. He had no home. He had no friends.
Synopsis: A small stray dog is accepted into a household full of cats learning to “fit in,” but when his mistress is hurt, he demonstrates that being a dog is not all bad.
Why I like this book: Widget weaselled his way into my heart by doing his darndest to fit in with 6 cats. I had no choice but to fall in love!
Resource/Activity: Talking About 911 With Kids, Prepare for emergency situations
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Oh how I’ve been pining for a dog! The last thing I need is a cute dog book.
We are ‘sitting’ for the next 10 days, and that always reminds my family how much we love dogs, and how much we dislike picking up the poop!
No kidding. I’ve been watching all the quail and bunnies on our backyard and remembering that they won’t come visit when we have a dog.
Lucky! Post some Quail pics sometime!
I am trying to get some (without scaring them)…
I used to live in a house with nine cats, this book would have been a great buy for the house owner
Crazy-C-L owner? lol
I LOVE the name Widget, and I felt for him as soon as I realized he has to live with nine cats! Sounds like a winner!
Actuall, it did get a few awards: IRA-CBC Children’s Choices, Booklinks Lasting Connection, Booklist Editors’ Choice, Alabama Children’s Choice Book Award
Widget really is just a fun word to say, so I am sure this makes a great read-aloud! Thanks, Julie!
I’m sure kids will get a kick out of Widget trying to act like a cat!
We both chose dog books today! This sounds like a fun read. Love the dog’s name Widget.
And both were about the dog helping someone in need!
Widget looks so sweet and I would bet that some of the interactions between him and the cats would be very funny!
You’re right!
AWW. Widget is really cute. I want to know how Widget acts like a cat!
Hope your library has it.
I love that cover. We’re dog people, so we’ll have to check this one out.
I didn’t ‘get’ the shadow at first!
Another great book, Julie, that will help kids discover how important it is to “get along” with one another. The 911 activity is a great one…young kids need to be taught early how they can contact help in an emergency. We often read in the newspaper about how a very young child saved a parent’s life because he knew how to dial 911.
Just realized it’s still pertinent to talk w/my teens about ‘emergencies’. New to my 17 yr old situations are surfacing as she is house/dog sitting for friends. Nothing bad yet, but the ideas are cropping up!