Mercy Watson to the Rescue (Mercy Watson Series #1)

by Kate DiCamillo, Chris Van Dusen (Illustrator)

Overview

Notes From Your Bookseller

The most famous pig not named Wilbur, Mercy Watson is a porcine with adventures galore, all written by the masterful hand of Kate DiCamillo. In this, the maiden voyage of Mercy, only she can get the fire department to save her family.

The first adventure of this New York Times best-selling porcine wonder is available in paperback.

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780763645045
Publisher:	Candlewick Press
Publication date:	12/22/2009
Series:	Mercy Watson Series , #1
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	80
Sales rank:	7,782
Product dimensions:	6.46(w) x 8.28(h) x 0.23(d)
Lexile:	450L (what's this?)
Age Range:	6 - 8 Years

About the Author

 

Hometown:

Minneapolis, Minnesota

Date of Birth:

March 25, 1964

Place of Birth:

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Education:

B.A. in English, University of Florida at Gainesville, 1987

Editorial Reviews

Van Dusen's boldly hued, tactically hyperbolic gouache paintings tap into the narrative's wry humor and joie de vivre.
—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

Appropriate as both a picture book and a beginning reader, this joyful story combines familiar elements with a raucous telling that lets readers in on the joke.
—Booklist, starred review

DiCamillo employs enough creative word choices to elevate the story beyond the controlled vocabulary of a first reader, yet the short chapters, large font, double spacing, and easygoing narrative make it approachable for transitional readers.
—Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, The

Hilarity and hijinks abound.
—Kirkus Reviews

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

Featured/recommended
—St. Paul Pioneer Press

DiCamillo's suspenseful yarn keeps readers turning the page, while the retro-folksy illustrations by Chris Van Dusen go for laughs and make for a gentle transition from picture books.
—FamilyFun

All heck breaks loose in this affectionate screwball take on bringing up baby.
—Parenting

This fast-paced tale features a pig named Mercy, a problem neighbor, and piles of buttered toast.
—People Magazine

Short and peppy chapters for reading or read-alouds.
—Chicago Tribune

Mr. and Mrs. Watson live in a charmingly retro world with their adorable pet pig.
—Nick Jr. Family Magazine Best Books of the Year

DiCamillo's tightly woven, outlandish story shows she's a pro at making readers laugh.
—Pittsburgh Post Gazette

With its straightforward story line, repeated text and hilarious illustrations, this new series should delight young readers.
—Book Page

An ebullient new character for early chapter-book readers in a series that’s destined to be a classic.
—Midwest Book Review

Porcine merriment.
—Star Tribune

A beguiling blend of slapstick and whimsy.
—Child Magazine's Best Children's Book Award

From the Publisher

Mercy Watson is a very lovable pig who enjoys the finer things in life, especially buttered toast and sugar cookies. Mr. and Mr. Watson indulge their portly porcine; in fact, they happily share their bed with their portly, good-natured friend. Unfortunately, even the sturdiest of beds can bear only so much pig weight.

Newbery Medalist DiCamillo (The Tale of Despereaux) once again displays her versatility with this jaunty debut to an early chapter-book series. The tale stars Mercy, a pig with personality a-plenty-and a penchant for "hot toast with a great deal of butter on it." When Mr. and Mrs. Watson tuck Mercy into bed at night and switch off the light, their pet no longer feels "warm and buttery-toasty inside" and decides "she would be much happier if she wasn't sleeping alone." So she climbs into the Watsons' bed and dreams of hot buttered toast, until the overloaded bed begins to fall through the floor. Mercy's obsession prompts her to hop off the bed-her devoted owners convinced that she's gone to summon the fire department. Alas, the peckish porcine's single-minded pursuit leads her to the kind next-door neighbor and ultimately does prompt a call to the fire department-but not before a series of comical twists (involving the kind neighbor's sister, Eugenia, who is of the opinion that "pigs should not live in houses"). Van Dusen's (If I Built a Car, reviewed above) boldly hued, tactically hyperbolic gouache paintings tap into the narrative's wry humor and joie de vivre-a memorable sequence depicts Eugenia in curlers and bathrobe chasing Mercy through the yards and winding up in an exhausted heap atop the porker heroine. Everyone ends up around the Watsons' table where the besotted couple piles up the undeserved toast for their "porcine wonder"-a fitting cap to this animated pig tale. Ages 6-8. (Sept.) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

Publishers Weekly

K-Gr 2-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. After the Watsons tuck Mercy into bed with a sweet song and a kiss, she feels "warm inside, as if she has just eaten hot toast with a great deal of butter on it." However, afraid of the dark, she snuggles into bed with the couple. Moments later, all three are rudely awakened from their lovely dreams with a "BOOM!" as their bed falls into a hole that has opened in the floor beneath them. In hot pursuit of buttered toast, "the porcine wonder" inadvertently gets help and saves the day. Along the way, she causes great, humorous distress to the next-door Lincoln sisters. Van Dusen's bright gouache illustrations have a jovial exaggerated style and capture the sometimes frantic action and silliness of Mercy's "heroic" escapade.-Lee Bock, Glenbrook Elementary School, Pulaski, WI Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

School Library Journal

Hilarity and hijinks abound in this tale about a voracious swine with an overweening yen for hot buttered toast. Mercy is the beloved pet pig of the doting Mr. and Mrs. Watson. When Mercy sneaks into her owner's bed one night, her added heft causes the bed to fall partway through the ceiling. Although the besotted Watsons assume Mercy is trotting off to seek help, the only search and rescue Mercy seems to care about involves butter and hot bread. In her quest for some midnight munchies, Mercy awakens the crotchety neighbor. Wild chases and mayhem ensue before help arrives in the guise of firefighters. DiCamillo aims for over-the-top fun with her tale of porcine shenanigans, and Van Dusen's gouache illustrations provide a comical counterpart to the text. The glossy paintings, with exaggerated caricatures and lively colors, complement DiCamillo's tone, although the scowling, lantern-jawed visage of the crabby neighbor borders on the unpleasant. With vocabulary that may prove too challenging for a novice, DiCamillo's tale is best suited for those ready to move up. However, the pacing and the action easily make it right for shared reading. (Fiction. 6-8)

Kirkus Reviews