ReedALOUD: Fenway and Hattie and the Evil Bunny Gang

Fenway is back!  

This week, the fourth graders and I read an excerpt from Fenway and Hattie and the Evil Bunny Gang byVictoria Coe. Victoria visited with these students last spring, so I wanted them to be the first to be introduced to the new book. The students' recall of her visit was impressive. They remembered her doing the visualizing exercises with them and they remembered her sharing how she get into perspective to write from a dog's point-of-view.

I loved the first Fenway and Hattie and this new adventure matches its predecessor in appeal and engagement. Fenway is back and he has a lot on his plate...

"The lovable little dog with a GIANT personality is back—battling something that may be worse than squirrels!  Life is pretty much a bag of treats when you’re an endlessly energetic Jack Russell Terrier. For Fenway, days are filled with important things like defending the Dog Park from wicked squirrels, snuggling with Hattie, and catching up on the neighborhood gossip with the next-door dogs Goldie and Patches. But that all changes the day a fiendish new intruder enters Fenway’s turf: he’s fluffy, he twitches evilly, and he smells worse than squirrels… 

He’s a bunny. An evil bunny. And Fenway can’t fathom why, but Hattie ADORES him. Goldie and Patches warn him that short humans are fickle: sometimes they love a new pet more than an old one. Fenway can’t believe his own Hattie would choose another pet over him. But taking matters into his own paws just makes everything worse. Is his heart big enough to accept that Hattie can love another pet too–and is he tough enough to take on an entire gang of evil bunnies?"

Victoria Coe knows how to write from a dog's point-of-view. We readers quickly get lost in the world of Fenway, a lovable and often misunderstood Jack Russell Terrier. I wish I could spend time visiting with Food Lady, Fetch Man, and Hattie and play in the dog park behind their house. 

The students used Padlet to try their hands at point-of-view writing. They could choose the animal and, using their five senses, try to capture a scene. This can be hard, especially in such a short time period, but they were so inspired by what they heard, they dove right in!

A dog's eye view with Victoria Coe

Yesterday, Victoria Coe, author of Fenway and Hattie visited with my third graders to talk about point-of-view writing, specifically, writing from a dog's perspective.Victoria has done an impressive job of telling the story of a family that is dealing with the adjustments of moving from a dog's perspective. We hear the young girl Hattie's story through her dog Fenway. 

Victoria shared a few important dog facts. With this knowledge, the students engaged in a visualizing exercise with Victoria, imagining a scene through a dog's perspective. She finished by reading an excerpt from Fenway and Hattie. It was a fabulous visit!

Recent Reads: Fenway and Hattie

"Get a dog’s-eye view of the world in this heartwarming, enthusiastic “tail” about two best friends."

And what a tale it is!

Fenway and Hattie by Victoria J. Coe is the story of a lovable canine hero eager to guide and protect Hattie, his small human and best friend, as they navigate a move to a new neighborhood. 

Victoria does a fabulous job of capturing a dog's perspective. She places the reader solidly and authentically in Fenway's shoes (or paws as it were). We want so desperately for Food Lady and Fetch Man (Hattie's parents) to understand what Fenway is trying to tell them. Don't they see how slippery the evil floor is? Can't Hattie see how much he wants to help? I am hoping to bring Victoria into my school to talk about perspective in writing. In the meantime, her classroom guide is a fabulous start.

Not only do we get a dog's eye view of the world, we also get an opportunity to touch upon weightier topics such as the emotional impact of: moving; changing friendships; and, new opportunities. Fenway and Hattie is full of heart. Both light-hearted and heart-warming, the story left me hoping to find additional pages hidden beyond the cover. I was hooked! How could I leave life with this energetic, misunderstood, squirrel-chasing, protagonist? 

Check out the Fenway and Hattie 

About Fenway and Hattie

"But when his family moves to the suburbs, Fenway faces a world of changes. He’s pretty pleased with the huge Dog Park behind his new home, but he’s not so happy about the Evil Squirrels that taunt him from the trees, the super-slippery Wicked Floor in the Eating Room, and the changes that have come over Hattie lately. Rather than playing with Fenway, she seems more interested in her new short human friend, Angel, and learning to play baseball. His friends in the Dog Park next door say Hattie is outgrowing him, but that can’t be right. And he’s going to prove it!" ~ from the publisher