Mercy Watson to the Rescue by Kate DiCamillo, illustrated by Chris Van Dusen is a fantastic book. Right from the first page, I realized I had completely fallen for this early chapter book. Mercy Watson is a beloved pet pig, who dreams of buttered toast. Her owners even let her sleep in their bed if she needs to. But when the bed begins to fall through the floor, only Mercy can hop off and escape. Her owners assume she is trying to rescue them, but she is really searching for some toast. So how will her owners be saved? You’ll have to read it to find out!
The design of the book is so lovely. From the buttery toast on the page numbers, to the perfect ratio of text and pictures, it will immediately draw readers into its colorful world. The story has exactly the right amount of tension and humor. This will be my new number one recommendation for kids looking to move from easy readers to chapter books. Wonderful.