Doggie Diaries: Adventures at the Library

From Ava’s Diary: Tuesday, March 16, 2011

People often ask what kind of dog I am. And to that I reply with poise, “100% Adorable.”  I trotted into the library tonight wearing my Smile T-Shirt. Spring has sprung, so it was time to freshen up my seasonable wardrobe. When I am not sporting one of my fashion forward outfits, I wear my blue PAL vest. I wear it with great pride. It lets everyone know that I am a working dog, and I have to get busy.

As always, Miss Julie had some great books in the library. I listened closely to How Rocket Learned to Read  by Tad Hills. Between you and me, I already know how to spell a few words like T-R-E-A-T and C-A-R and P-A-R-K. Those three words are magic to my ears. I get so excited that I cannot help doing a little wiggle, wiggle, wiggle.

For arts and crafts, Miss Julie showed everyone how to make Bone Books. They are cool little writing tablets. Kids could use them to teach their dogs to read, or to write their own doggie’s diary, or to create a dog poem, or to invent different flavors of dog treats, or whatever they fancy.  I was too busy with my reading duties to make a booklet of my own, so I made sure to get a good look at it, so that I could make one as soon as I got home.  Fortunately I have all the supplies I need:

• 1 brown sheet of construction paper
• 1 white sheet of construction paper
• 3 sheets of writing paper
• Some crayons or markers
• 1 paper-hole puncher
• 1 pair of scissors
• 1 chopstick
• 1 glue stick
• 1 rubber band
• Many good ideas

And this is how to make it:

1. Fold the brown construction paper in half (a hot dog or horizontal) fold.
2. Draw a large bone shape on the paper.
3. Cut out the bone keeping the paper folded so that there are two identical bone shapes.
4. Draw several smaller bones on the white construction paper.
5. Color the small bones, cut them out, and glue them to the larger bone.
6. Cut the sheets of writing paper into two inch strips to make pages for the book.
7. Stack the papers  (one brown bone on top, white papers in the middle, and one brown bone on bottom) to make a book.
8. Punch two holes in the top of the booklet about two inches apart.
9. Thread the rubber band through the holes and slide the chopstick through to secure the booklet.
10. Write spelling words, a story, a poem, a dog treat recipe, or whatever in the pages of the book.

While some children were making Bone Books, others were reading to one of the guest dogs of honor. I listened to Dog Heaven  by Cynthia Rylant, No Dogs Here  by Kathryn Hewitt and Officer Buckle and Gloria  by Peggy Rathmann.

My Tuesday nights are always the fullest when I spend them at the Takoma Park Library with the lovely neighborhood families. My heart is happy, and my tail is wagging.

Wags away,
Ava



Read Ava’s September 1, 2010 Diary
Read Ava’s September 15, 2010 Diary
Read Ava’s December 1, 2010 Diary
Read Ava’s December 22, 2010 Diary
Read Ava’s March 1, 2011 Diary