After he is sent to obedience school, Ike feels he is being mistreated and unjustly punished. He decides to escape, and learns that wandering is not the life fo
One of my all time favorite books to teach with. I used to use this one for all kinds of lessons, from conflict resolution (if Ike and Mrs. LaRue had talked about why he ripped her coat, none of this would have happened), point of view (Ike’s point of view, Mrs. LaRue’s and the reader’s tell very different stories), letter writing, and a host of other ones. But my favorite was the one where we went through the story together, discussing what the illustrations could tell us about how the characters were feeling, and help us understand the misunderstanding between Ike and Mrs. LaRue. What if Ike isn’t lying, but this is what it feels like to him, being away from his human? What if Mrs. LaRue isn’t uncaring, but she really believes he’s being dramatic and he’s secretly having fun? What is likely to be the truth under what both of them believe? Fascinating discussions are bound to ensue. Let me know if you want the full lesson plan, anyone.
