Betsy the Diva Dog

Book excerpt: Betsy the Diva Dog© is a true conceptualization of a book which can integrate both being able to write in conjunction with reading! Young children love animals, especially little adorable dogs. Over the years, in the author's kindergarten classes, if she wanted to get their attention all she had to do was mention her little, female dog, Betsy. By the mere mention of the dog and her adventures, the entire class would become silent and attentive! This certainly worked to convince the author to develop a book revolving around her little dog named Betsy! The concept for this inaugural book is to tell a doggy life lesson through Betsy's adventure filled stories. At the end of the book, Betsy asks her readers a question to give each child a text to self connection opportunity. In this opportunity, students are able to reflect on the story and relate the story to their own life experiences. When children are prompted to write from their own personal experiences, they are better able to express their own thoughts. It is her hope that the children will enjoy the invitation to read and write and thus simultaneously grow in both areas.