It’s the best thing since buttered toast — Mercy Watson in paperback!
To Mr. and Mrs. Watson, Mercy is not just a pig — she’s a porcine wonder. And to the 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!
While working at a children's bookstore, DiCamillo wrote her first novel, Because of Winn-Dixie (2000). It was inspired by one of the worst winters in Minnesota, when she became homesick for Florida after overhearing a little girl with a southern accent. One thing led to another, and soon DiCamillo had created the voice of Opal Buloni, a resilient ten-year-old girl who has just moved to a small town in Florida with her father. Opal's mother abandoned the family when she was three years old, and her father has a hard time explaining why.
Thoug her father is busy and she has no friends, Opal's life takes a turn for the better when she adopts a fun-loving stray dog, Winn-Dixie (named after the supermarket where she found him, out in the parking lot). With Winn-Dixie as her guide, Opal makes friends with the eccentric people of her new town and even convinces her father to talk about her mother. Through Opal, readers are given a gift: a funny and heartrending story of how one girl's spirit can change her life and others'. Critics loved the book as much as readers, and in 2001, Because of Winn-Dixie was named a Newbery Honor Book.
DiCamillo's second novel, The Tiger Rising (2001), also deals with the importance of friendships, families, and making changes. Twelve-year-old Rob Horton and his father are dealing with grief, anger, and isolation after moving to Lister, Florida, six months after Rob's mother succumbs to cancer. Rob's father has a job at a motel (where they both also live), but it barely pays the bills. Struggling through the loss of his mother, Rob stifles his many confusing emotions as he battles bullies at his new school, worries about a rash on his legs, and copes with living in poverty.
In many ways, The Tiger Rising is a darker, more challenging story than Because of Winn-Dixie, but there is a similar light of deliverance in this beautiful novel: the healing power of friendship. Two meetings change Rob's life. First, he encounters a caged lion in the woods. Shortly thereafter he meets Sistine, who has recently moved to Lister after her parents' divorce. Sistine and Rob are polar opposites -- she stands up to the school bullies and lets out every bit of her anger at her parents' divorce and her relocation. Through Sistine, Rob recognizes himself in the caged lion, and the story of how the two children free the beast is one of the most engaging reads in contemporary young adult fiction. With the lion free, Rob is free to grieve the loss of his mother and move on with his bittersweet new life in Lister. A National Book Award finalist, The Tiger Rising is hard to put down as it overflows with raw, engaging emotion.
In 2003, DiCamillo's third novel, The Tale of Despereaux, was released to the delight of readers and critics alike. This odd but enthralling fairy tale also touches on some of the topics from her first two novels -- parental abandonment and finding the courage to be yourself. The hero, Despereaux Tilling, is a mouse who has always been different from the rest of his family, and to make matters worse, he has broken a serious rule: interacting with humans, particularly Princess Pea, who captures his heart. When Despereaux finds himself in trouble with the mouse community, he is saddened to learn that his father will not defend him. Characters in the tale are Princess Pea, whose mother died after seeing a rat in her soup; King Pea, who, in his grief, declares that no soup may be served anywhere in the kingdom; Miggery Sow, a servant girl who dreams of being a princess after being sold into servitude by her father after her mother dies; and Roscuro, a villainous rat with a curious soup obsession.
The story of how the characters' paths cross makes The Tale of Despereaux an adventurous read, reminiscent of Grimm's fairy tales. In the spirit of love and forgiveness, Despereaux changes everyone's life, including his own. As the unnamed, witty narrator of the novel tells us, "Every action, reader, no matter how small, has a consequence." Kate DiCamillo's limitless imagination and her talent for emotional storytelling earned her one of the most prestigious honors a children's author can receive -- in 2004, she was awarded the Newbery Medal.
In our interview, DiCamillo shared some other fun facts with us: :
"I can't cook and I'm always on the lookout for a free meal."
"I love dogs and I'm an aunt to a very bad dog named Henry."
"My first job was at McDonald's. I was overjoyed when I got a nickel raise."
"I'm a pretty boring person. I like reading. I like eating dinner out with friends. I like walking Henry. And I like to laugh."
ReadAloudDad-Blogspot-Com
Posted September 14, 2010
The real star of the Mercy Watson series is without a doubt illustrator Chris Van Dusen. I almost feel as if I am sinning when I say that the first Mercy Watson book is not an obligatory buy. Alas, the story isn't strong enough to keep up with the fine illustrations. Despite Kate DiCamillo's good effort, the first Mercy Watson story almost falls flat, were it not for Van Dusen's marvelous pictures.
It is simply such a fabulous book to look through and your eyes will feast on the pictures from page 1 all the way to page 80. Van Dusen's art work is much stronger in his own picture books A Camping Spree with Mr Magee, Down to the Sea with Mr Magee, and his two knock-out editions - If I Built a Car and The Circus Ship.
The language in Mercy Watson to the Rescue is a bit stilted and although we all wanted to love it, it was not really love at first sight. Both my kids and I fell in love with the idea of a pig that loves buttered toast and her selfless owners. And such a cute pig too. But if you want to splash your cash on one or two Mercy Watson books, better ones followed after this one.
Also, make sure to glance at the Mercy Watson: Three-Treat Collection: Slipcased Gift Set, which consists of the first three Mercy Watson books at a lower price than the combined price of all three (were you to buy them individually).
In short, loan this one from the library to introduce your kids to Mercy Watson and the inimitable Chris Van Dusen. But save your cash for DiCamillo's and Van Dusen's better works.
VERDICT: GET YOUR LIBRARY CARD OUT!
ReadAloudDad(.)Blogspot(.)Com
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Ma-verite
Posted February 22, 2010
I Also Recommend:
Funny and educational.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.I really enjoyed this book.  My favorite characters are Mercy and Eugena Lincoln.  Their relationship isn't the best but it provides alot of comedy.  The story is fascinating and I couldn't put it down.  I read the whole thing in one sitting! I am a 2nd grader who loves to read!
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted February 21, 2009
My 6 year old daughter read the book in less than 30 minutes. She loved the story and can't wait for more Mercy Watson books to land in the bookstores.
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Posted February 9, 2009
We have now ordered the rest of these books because my kids loved this one. It has just the right words/picture ratio, vocabulary, and subtlety of humor for almost-readers. We also recommend the author's book about the adventures of Louise the chicken.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted April 12, 2008
My second grade class loves having these books read to them for read aloud. They are wonderfully entertaining stories that also provide lots of teaching examples for early readers and writers. The illustrations are superbly done. I also love that the books are done in chapters. It makes them more appealing to young children, and their parents, who all to soon and too often believe that reading a non-chapter book is too easy for them. I see too many children reading pages of words in thick books that they do not comprehend. These books are great in many ways. Thank you Kate and Mercy!
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted September 12, 2007
Mercy Watson is a great book for first graders. My daughter read this aloud to me, with a little help, and she loved it. The illustrations are great also. The story line really moves along and kept her interest. The writer also repeats new vocabulary words in an engaging way, which gets the young reader to recognize the new words readily. I am glad this is a series and we'll definitely be reading more about the 'porcine wonder.'
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Posted February 11, 2006
I bought this book for my youngest daughter and she is crazy about it. It is a chapter book, but she stayed interested until the end and she is only 3 years old. I would suggest this book for anyone. It is so cute and funny.
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Posted December 16, 2005
Mercy is a fun and cutest pig. The story is hilarious and the illustrations are delightful. I can't wait to get to the end of the story and start all over again!
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Posted May 7, 2005
Kate Di Camillo is a very versatile author. On the heels of several books geared towards an upper-elementary audience, this book is written for the younger set. Or is it? It took me only a short time to read this delightful little book and I can understand why Max, the precocious 2- year old son of the author's best friend, insists upon hearing it read aloud EVERY night... 'much to his mother's chagrin,' reports Kate. (Chagrin because it is longer than the conventional picture book.) Mercy is a real character study. She is a simple little pig, much adored by her family. Chris Van Dusen's illustrations show Mercy as the center of attention: In the pictures on the walls, in the house, and even with her OWN bedroom, complete with bed and all the amenities of a middle class childhood. A series of events make up the story for this book, the first volume in what looks like a future series from the Di Camillo and Van Dusen partnership. Mercy will have many adventures because everything she does HAPPENS to work out for a very tidy ending and there is lots of humor to keep the story interesting. I wonder if Mercy was named because it could be construed as short or 'mercenary.' Mercy has one great love in life, and that is hot buttered toast. The higher the stack, the better. She dreams of it. She craves it. It is this single-minded pursuit of hot buttered toast that sets this book in motion - after, of course, she causes a bed to ALMOST fall through the floor with her human 'parents' on board, and a neighbor to mistake her for a monster.
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Posted November 29, 2008
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Posted January 11, 2013
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Posted February 6, 2010
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Overview
It’s the best thing since buttered toast — Mercy Watson in paperback!
To Mr. and Mrs. Watson, Mercy is not just a pig — she’s a porcine wonder. And to the 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!