Bark, George By Jules Feiffer (1999)

When George’s mother tells him to bark, he meows, quacks, oinks, and moos. When she takes him to the vet, the vet pulls out a cat, duck, pig, and finally a gigantic cow out of little George. The funny animal sound mix-ups, George’s mother’s expressions, and animals coming out of the puppy are hilarious and support print motivation . Dialogic reading helps kid’s understanding of the story and humor. "What sound does a dog make?" "Woof!" Then the dog meows! How surprising and bizarre! The animal sounds also support phonological awareness and a few handwritten words support print awareness . This book is great for a family storytime with older siblings attending since the humor appeals to a wide range of ages.

-Karen McElravy

This is a great book for print awareness -not only do the Quack and Moo and Meow stand out but when the vet reaches deep deep deep deep deep down into George you pretty much HAVE to hold you finger under them so you can say the right number.  You can then say something to the effect of "pointing to the print occasionally helps children learn that it is those funny squiggles on the page that you are reading rather than the pictures".

-Jane Corry