MERCY WATSON TO THE RESCUE
To Mr. and Mrs. Watson, Mercy is not just a pig — she’s a porcine wonder. And to the portly and good-natured Mercy, the Watsons are an excellent source of buttered toast, not to mention that buttery-toasty feeling she gets when she snuggles into bed with them. This is not, however, so good for the Watsons’ bed. BOOM! CRACK! As the bed and its occupants slowly sink through the floor, Mercy escapes in a flash – “to alert the fire department,” her owners assure themselves. But could Mercy possibly have another emergency in mind — like a sudden craving for their neighbors’
To Mr. and Mrs. Watson, Mercy is not just a pig — she’s a porcine wonder. And to the portly and good-natured Mercy, the Watsons are an excellent source of buttered toast, not to mention that buttery-toasty feeling she gets when she snuggles into bed with them. This is not, however, so good for the Watsons’ bed. BOOM! CRACK! As the bed and its occupants slowly sink through the floor, Mercy escapes in a flash – “to alert the fire department,” her owners assure themselves. But could Mercy possibly have another emergency in mind — like a sudden craving for their neighbors’ sugar cookies? Welcome to the wry and endearing world of Mercy Watson — an ebullient character for early chapter-book readers in a series that’s destined to be a classic.
- Candlewick Press
- Paperback
- December 2009
- 80 Pages
- 9780763645045
Buy the Book
$5.99
About Kate DiCamillo & Chris Van Dusen (Illustrator)
Kate DiCamillo is one of America’s most beloved storytellers. She is the National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature and a two-time Newbery Medalist. She is the author of many books for young readers, including The Tale of Despereaux, which received a Newbery Medal; Because of Winn-Dixie, which received a Newbery Honor; The Tiger Rising, a National Book Award Finalist; The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, winner of a Boston Globe–Horn Book Award; The Magician’s Elephant; and the best-selling Mercy Watson series. Born in Philadelphia, she grew up in Florida and now lives in Minneapolis, where she faithfully writes two pages a day, five days a week.
Chris Van Dusen is the author-illustrator of Down to the Sea With Mr. Magee, A Camping Spree with Mr. Magee, and If I Built a Car. He says, “When I first read Mercy Watson to the Rescue, the characters were very vivid in my mind, and they just came to life when I started painting. This is exactly the type of story I love to illustrate—a wonderfully silly adventure with lots of action.”
Praise
Chicago Public Library Best Books for Children and Teens
“Mercy Watson, a disarmingly charming pig adopted by a loving human family, makes her debut in this new series of chapter books for beginning readers.”—School Library Journal
“Hilarity and hijinks abound.”—Kirkus Reviews
“A lot of laughs and a ‘buttery-toasty’ warmth.”—San Francisco Chronicle
Discussion Questions
1. Every night, the Watsons sing Mercy to sleep. The song makes Mercy feel warm inside, as if she had just eaten her favorite—hot buttered toast. What makes you feel warm inside?
2. Eugenia Lincoln thinks pigs belong on farms. Name other animals that could be both pets and found on farms.
3. Baby agrees with everything Eugenia says because she thinks it’s easier that way. Why do you think that is? Is Baby right to do it?
4. Why does Mrs. Watson want Eugenia to call Mercy a porcine wonder? Do you think that’s an accurate description of Mercy?
5. At the end of the book, Mercy takes a nap. Why do you think she was tired?