Independent Reading Level: Grades 1-2
Honors/Awards: None

Henry and his 180-pound dog Mudge are best friends forever. And in this adventure, they spend a scary night together at Henry's grandmother's house in the country.

Henry worries about what will happen to his big dog Mudge during their visit to his grandmother's house in the country.

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"Henry and Mudge and the Bedtime Thumps" is a great book for early readers. It tells a humorous and relatable tale about a boy and his dog. The vocabulary in this story is controlled, which will help beginning readers read the book independently. As the story progresses, there is a clear theme of cause and effect within the story. For example, Henry is worried about Mudge meeting his grandma for the first time (cause). Therefore, he begins to chew his fingernails (effect). Mudge knocks over everything in the house (cause), so he is sent outside (effect). As the story goes on, I would point out to my students the different events that occurring like Mudge knocking everything over. I will then have them predict what the effect of that might be. Then at the end of the story, I will ask them questions like, "Why did Mudge get sent outside?" to see if they can identify the cause. As a follow-up activity, I could have students create their own cause and effect situations. I think this story could be a very useful teaching tool for young readers. ( )