Author: Daniel Kirk
Published: New York: Putnam, 1999
Suitable for: (Age/Grade level) 4-8 years K-3
Length: 32 pp.
Reading Level: 3 Interest Level 4-8 years
Need Addressed: lonliness, loyalty
Genre: science fiction / humor
Plot: Willy Joe Jehosephat wants a pet, but not any pet -- a moon dog. He builds a space ship to fly to the moon. A starving Earth dog stows away on the ship. Willy feeds the dog because it is so thin. When the Man on the Moon grabs Willy, Scrappy bites him. The moon dogs tell Willy that he already has the perfect dog.
Characters:
willy joe jehosephat
scrappy, the dog
Use: Individual
Discussion Questions:
Why should Willy have a dog?
Does Dad beleive in moon dogs? How do you know?
What does Willy do with the dog that ate his food?
Which moon dog in the picture would you want? Why did you pick it?
What did the man on the moon say he would do with Willy?
How did Scrappy save Willy?
Related Activities:
Draw a picture of a moon dog.
Draw a picture of the man on the moon.
What creatures live on the moon. Check other cultures stories about the moon.
Related Works:
Daniel Kirk "Hush Little Alien"
Censorship Issues: none

Moon Dogs