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The Great Gracie Chase: Stop that Dog! is a story by Cynthia Rylant about an adorable dog named Gracie who gets out of the house and starts to run. The painters in the house start chasing her and soon the whole neighborhood joins in. Gracie doesn’t understand why everyone is chasing her so she keeps running! The story has a cute ending that kids will love!
Hav
e a great Gracie chase of your own!
Play Tag – Name someone as Gracie and have them run away from the group. The rest of the group has to try to catch Gracie. The person to catch Gracie becomes the next one to run away.
Pretend Play – Set up a pretend dog park for your kids to play in. Set up water bowls and leave out dog toys, leashes and stuffed dogs. Kids can create their own imaginary scenarios with the stuffed dogs.
Discuss Point of View – Discuss Gracie’s point of view in the story vs. the point of view of the painters. She thinks they are intruding on her home. They think that she is getting in the way of them doing their job. Do your kids think one side is right?
Puppy Snacks – There are lots of yummy snacks that can be tied in with a story about a dog. I mentioned making Puppy Chow in the post about Harry the Dirty Dog, and I will take any opportunity to make it! There are also adorable puppy treats available online. You could use a bone shaped cookie cutter to make cookies, or decorate cupcakes with paw prints. Be creative and have fun with it!
Paw Print Painting – Let kids use a paw print stamp or fingerprints to create a paw print masterpiece.
Whose point of view did your kids think was right? Do you have a special recipe for puppy chow or puppy treats? Let me know in the comments!
