Mercy Watson to the Rescue

by Kate DiCamillo

Book Overview

The first adventure of this New York Times best-selling porcine wonder is available in paperback.

To Mr. and Mrs. Watson, Mercy is not just a pig -- she's a porcine wonder. And to the portly and good-natured Mercy, the Watsons are an excellent source of buttered toast, not to mention that buttery-toasty feeling she gets when she snuggles into bed with them. This is not, however, so good for the Watsons' bed. BOOM! CRACK!...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0763645044
• ISBN13: 9780763645045
• Release Date: December 2009
• Publisher: Candlewick Press (MA)
• Length: 80 Pages
• Weight: 0.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 6.5" x 8.2"
• Age Range: 5 to 8 years
• Grade Range: Preschool to Grade 3

Customer Reviews

So good!

My 6 year old and I just got done reading this and we loooved it! Going to buy the rest of the series. We can’t wait!

fun for parents and kids

This book may have been written for early readers but my 4 year old loves it when I read this to her. She loves Mercy and all the other characters and is captivated by the story even though it's a long one to read aloud. My husband and I get a kick out of it too.

So CUTE!

Mr. and Mrs. Watson are the proud owners of Mercy, their pampered pig, in this adorable chapter book. In this first adventure, Mercy climbs into bed with the Watsons' one night and they soon find themselves in distress when the bed collapses under their combined weight. It's Mercy to the rescue (sort of) when a trip to the neighbors house results in a call to the fire department and the rescue of Mr. and Mrs. Watson from their collapsing bed. Mercy is treated as a hero and given his favorite dish of all - hot buttered toast! The story is fun and active, but the best part of this book isn't the writing - it's the illustrations. The cartoon-like drawings are fun, retro, and extremely vibrant, and perfectly capture Mercy in his adventures. The illustrations add everything to this book and the thoughtful details in the drawings made it a very fun read. Recommended!

A rollicking romp of a story about a hot-buttered-toast-loving pig named Mercy

MERCY WATSON TO THE RESCUE is a rollicking romp of a story about a beloved young pig named Mercy who lives with Mr. and Mrs. Watson in a comfortable family home. Mercy finds adventure and excitement at every turn in his simple suburban neighborhood when all he wants is some hot buttered toast. Mercy, the pig, is a single-minded, simple creature. His love for hot buttered toast and his quest to find a snack sets the stage for all kinds of adventure. When Mercy jumps into bed with his owners, the Watsons, the bed begins sinking into the floor. The Watsons think Mercy is running for help when he jumps off the bed. What they don't know is that he is hunting for hot buttered toast. Mercy sets off late at night through the neighborhood and stirs up all kinds of trouble. Will Mercy get help for the Watsons, or will he just fulfill his late night craving for toast? Mercy meets up with kind Baby Lincoln and her cranky older sister, Eugenia Lincoln, on his late night travels. MERCY WATSON TO THE RESCUE is filled with plenty of good clean fun and hijinks. It is short enough to be enjoyed in one evening like a picture book or spread out over several evenings if a young child is just learning to read. Kate DiCamillo is a very talented and versatile author. This new series about Mercy is aimed at a much younger audience than her previous novels, which include the much loved BECAUSE OF WINN-DIXIE and the Newbery Award-winning THE TALE OF DESPEREAUX. I think that younger readers will enjoy her storytelling just as much as older elementary school kids have. Chris Van Dusen adds to the enjoyment of the story with his colorful, sunny illustrations, which bring the character of Mercy to life. Young readers will gobble up each new installment of this series just like Mercy gobbles up his hot buttered toast every morning. --- Reviewed by Renee Kirchner (renee.kirchner@usa.net)

Get ready for a rollicking read!

And be prepared to laugh your way through this gem of an early chapter book. The whole family will be entertained by the pig who loves hot buttered toast ... and her non-stop adventure in heroism. An excellent gift for the new reader ... and a sure-to-make-them-smile reading pleasure for everyone else.

Great New Series for Beginning Chapter Readers

Mercy Watson is a fine addition to the cannon of early readers. It's funny and fun! Mercy is a pig who lives with Mr. and Mrs. Watson, who treat her as more a member of the family than a pet. When Mercy decides one night that she's too afraid to sleep alone, she crawls into bed with the Watsons. When the bed starts to sink through the Watson's floor, It's Mercy who runs off to find help - sort of! You simply cannot wait to turn the page and find out why Mercy's doing what she's doing and how it's going to end. The plot twists are fun and logical, while matter-of-fact and unexpected. The illustrations are utterly charming. It's recommended for readers 6-8, but it really is fun for the whole family. I can't wait to see what Mercy will do next!