Maverick and Me, By Katherine Schwarzenegger, Illustrated by Phyllis Harris

            In this book, a little dog named Maverick is rescued by a kind stranger and taken to a pet store. On the store’s Adoption Day, Maverick is the only dog left that has not been adopted. Then, a young girl named Scarlett and her mother come into the pet store and asks about Maverick. The manager says that the dog really needs a home, so Scarlett and her mom adopt him. Scarlett and Maverick have a lot of fun together. They have so much fun that Scarlett tells her friends about how she adopted the rescue puppy, and all her friends meet Maverick. At the end of the book, Scarlett expresses her hope that Maverick’s story will inspire her friends to adopt puppies of their own that need a home.

            This book would be ideal for first and second graders. I would love to have this book in my classroom library for the students to read freely. If a student is disinterested in reading but really loves dogs, the book could motivate the student to read this story. This book would also be ideal for teacher read alouds in class because it introduces new vocabulary. The students could learn words and terms such as “manager,” “adoption,”  “forever-home,” and “kennel.” The story also demonstrates how to treat animals with kindness. Additionally, the illustrations are vivid and detailed enough to capture the students’ attention and allow them to ‘read’ the pictures even if they do not know how to read the words. Because this book has so many uses, it would be a great addition to my future classroom.