How Rocket Learned to Read

I bought two copies of this children’s picture book for Christmas gifts for a couple of two-year-olds, mostly based on the Amazon reviews. This book is darling! It’s really geared more for ages 3 to 6, I would say, since it deals with alphabet recognition and phonics skills for beginning readers and pre-readers. I love the illustrations and how Rocket the dog is drawn in to wanting to learn to read! There is no meanness in the story (except one dog who’s known for growling); just patience, kindness, and the idea that learning to sound out words and read them is fun!I can’t imagine any child not loving this book! Nice, quality hardback.

Our 3 year old has had a passion for letters and has been inquisitive about words lately, so we decided it was time to introduce reading. We have worked on several two- and three-letter words and his own name, but to get to the next step, I felt we needed to illustrate reading to him in a way that wasn't just mommy telling him how to do it. He "got" potty training through potty books, and "got" the concept of a baby brother through books, so I thought we'd try to find some books on reading this time around. Reading about Rocket's experience, he is beginning to understand the concept of sounding out words, not just spelling them. I think he understands the task of reading better with every reading of this story. We are not pushing him to read because he has a lot of time to pick it up, but we wanted to open up the idea to him, and this story is a great tool for that. My husband complains that once he read the book once, you couldn't tell if he was sounding out the words, or if he had just memorized them. To me, however, this is not an issue - if you see a word and know what it is, you may not be working on sounding the word out, but you have learned the word. He sees these words in other contexts and reads them.

My 3rd grade students loved this book! It arrived in perfect condition!

I purchased this book for my 4 year old daughter. She really enjoys this book and I must say, so does my husband and I. It is a family favorite. My daughter loves to listen to the story and has now memorized the book so that she can "read" it to us and her little sister. It is an adorable story about how a dog named Rocket became intrigued about a story that the little teacher bird was reading. Rocket was so intrigued that he started to come to the little bird's class each day to learn to read and eventually, loved reading. The book is well written and the illustrations really bring the story to life. I would definitely recommend purchasing this book.

The book is about a dog who at first has no interest in reading... but the persistent chick runs school and winds up teaching him how to read. He is so enthralled with his lessons that he is disappointed when she leaves for winter and then is excited when spring comes and school is back in session. Great for getting little learners interested in reading skills but also a great book to help get young children excited about school in general. My 4 year old loved the book and was interested in me pointing to the words as I read them. He even said he wants a dog after reading the book *(not sure that's a good thing!) Highly recommend!

It seems to me that for a kid's general interest picture/story book what you sometimes want is - a friendly looking hero, a story that moves along but makes sense, illustrations that are clear or at least easily explainable, and a cheerful overall vibe. There are other books that are edgier or maybe more audacious, but for a solid appealing read those basic elements seem to describe a successful book.Well, that's what we have here. Rocket has a certain wide-eyed cheerful appeal without being dopey or simple. He is adventurous but alert. He is brave and resourceful. He is sometimes bemused or inattentive, but he is not a foolish character. In this volume he's learning to read with the help of a very determined little bird. Between the drawings, (which are charming and expressive), and the narration, (which is clear but not patronizing), you get a story that is easy enough to follow, maybe with a little help, and very satisfying. There is a lot of extra business scatterred throughout the illustrations, so there are things to talk about or to point out to your little reader as you go through the story."Charm" is a bit of an overused description, so let's just say that this book is a mellow little lark. And sometimes that's just what you want. A nice little find. Definitely worth a look.

Grandchildren love this book

This book is great for beginning readers. My therapy dogs and I work with a spoecial population of kids who are challenged by words and by reading. It's encouraging for these students as they learn, page by page, how the "rocket dog" learns to read. If Rocket can read, then so can they! The book is entertaining and keeps the youngsters' attention, whether they read the book to the dogs, or we read the book to them. This book will stay in my traveling READ bag until my grandson is ready to learn to read - it will be perfect for him also, and for any child just learning about words, or who struggles to read.

Gostei muito da história, das ilustrações... É uma leitura leve e relaxante. A minha filha de 4 anos adorou!

Llego golpeado el libro

Really nice story encourages kids to read. Our lo loved it

This book was a good choice for us. I enjoyed reading this book to my daughters, ages 4 and 5. They are at just the right ages to sound out words in preparation to read and the dog is just so adorable.

Very fun, easy to follow and inciting, super cute characters ! Thank you