Sometimes we have to share the things that are ours. This book also shows how to take good care of animals. ( )

I liked the book, "Charlie and the New Baby." I liked the main character of the story- the puppy, Charlie. I liked him because he was relatable. He acts the way people might act when they hear they are getting a new baby in their family. For example, when Charlie sees his owner feeding the calf dinner, he screams "WHAT! They always make ME dinner." Furthermore, I liked the main idea about acceptance. I liked the main idea because you have to be ready to accept change throughout life. ( )

In my opinion this book had great intentions. I liked the book, however; the end just didn’t make much sense to me. At first, you meet the dog. The language used sort of stereotypes how farm people talk. The point of view is first person and of a dog, Charlie, who narrates the story, explaining how “life doesn’t get much better” and how he loves life on the “ol’ ranch”. The author creates an atmosphere on the ranch that Charlie is the number one priority. But one day a baby calf that happens to be sick starts to get all the attention. The plot is paced well and raises a conflict. The conflict is that Charlie isn’t used to not getting all of the attention. Her writing flows well. You can easily tell the frustration Charlie feels by the amount of times he is pushed aside for the calf to receive attention. There’s even a part where they tuck the calf into his bad and he says “That’s exactly how they tuck ME in”. Charlie by the end realizes that there’s “enough tender loving care around for everyone”. This big idea is for the reader to see that the attention doesn’t always have to be on them and that sometimes other people need the love at moments more than them. ( )

This book is written from the perspective of a lovable and spoiled basset hound named Charlie. In this story Charlie is surprised to see that the family has brought a new baby, in the form of a calf, into the house. The family brings the calf into Charlie’s usual spot such as his bed and covered the calf with Charlie’s blanket. Charlie experiences jealousy and the feeling of being left out as the family tends to the calf and its needs. Charlie is forced to sleep on the floor and wait to be fed until after the calf is fed. Something that Charlie is not used to at all. By the end of the book the calf is taken back out to the pasture and Charlie once again is “king” of the house.
I believe that this book is a wonderful book that addresses the ongoing tale of kids becoming older siblings and the trials that come with it. This book explains the feelings that Charlie is having as the family tends to the “new baby”. I believe that having the first person perspective of Charlie is crucial and allows a child to relate to things they may have gone through as well. Charlie, being a dog, is a nonthreatening character that children can love and sympathize with as well. I think this is a wonderful resource for any child about to have a younger sibling and may be having feelings that they may be forgotten when the new sibling arrives. This book allows children to also read about the different things that may happen such as giving the new baby a bed that a child may have slept in before, or the process of feeding the baby perhaps before the older child is fed. These are real life examples that a child may witness in that situation.
In the classroom, I would allow children to listen to the book and then write a short response as to what they would do if they were Charlie. I believe this would allow a student not only a writing experience but also a creative writing opportunity. Another activity that could be involved with this book is an art activity in which a students get to choose to create either a “Charlie” character or a “baby” character. After completely the character the students could then present their art and explain why they chose that character. This allows students to express creativity and also a public speaking aspect while presenting to the class.

Charlie makes a friend, though not by choice ( )