Product Description

The amiable Mercy Watson takes an automobile ride she'll never forget in the second tale of an ebullient first chapter-book series by Kate DiCamillo and Chris Van Dusen.

Mr. and Mrs. Watson's porcine wonder, Mercy, loves nothing more than a ride in the car. It takes a fair amount of nudging and bribing and a "You are such a good sport, darling" to get the portly pig out of the driver's seat, but once the convertible is on the road, Mercy loves the feel of the wind tickling her ears and the sun on her snout. One day the Watsons' motoring ritual takes an unexpected turn, however, when their elderly neighbor Baby Lincoln pops up in the backseat in hopes of some "folly and adventure" — and in the chaos that ensues, an exuberant Mercy ends up behind the wheel! Soon there's a policeman on her tail, a struggle for the brake, and a blissfully airborne Mercy. Of course, it's nothing that an extra helping of buttered toast can't fix!

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #77995 in Books
• Published on: 2006-05-09
• Released on: 2006-05-09
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 80 pages

From School Library Journal
Kindergarten-Grade 3–Another action-packed escapade staring the porcine wonder. Every weekend, when Mr. Watson takes his pig for a ride in his pink convertible, Mercy must be cajoled out of the driver's seat with the promise of a tasty treat upon their return. One Saturday, their elderly neighbor, Baby Lincoln, stows away in the backseat. Man and pig speed happily along until Baby reveals her presence. Surprised, Mr. Watson takes his eyes off the road, and Mercy seizes her chance, jumps into his lap, and grabs the wheel. The vehicle zooms along, pursued by a police car. With Mr. Watson unable to reach the brake, it takes some heroics from Baby to save the day. Back at the house, the ever-serene Mrs. Watson manages to mollify everyone–including Baby's crotchety sister and the angry policeman–with a stack of hot buttered toast. Written with simple vocabulary and lots of repetition, the quick-paced narrative flows gracefully and is packed with amusing moments. The glossy, full-color gouache paintings provide visual clues to support the text and add greatly to the humor. The characters' facial expressions are laugh-out-loud funny, and the idealized 1950s setting strikes just the right tone of innocence. A fresh, fun-filled must-have for those looking to spiff up beginning-chapter-book collections.–Joy Fleishhacker, School Library Journal
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist
PreS-Gr. 2. Mercy the pig, who proved herself a worthy child substitute in ercy Watson to the Rescue (2005), is up to her old tricks again. This time the self-absorbed, endearingly naughty Mercy brings many a child's dream to life: she squeezes herself onto Mr. Watson's lap and commandeers his beloved 1959 pink Caddy for a joyride. Van Dusen's larger-than-life characters and retro sensibility extend the dry humor of the situation, and his shiny, rainbow-bright gouache art shoots the energy, especially Mercy's, right off the page. Great for emergent readers. Stephanie Zvirin
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

From the Publisher
The amiable Mercy Watson takes an automobile ride she’ll never forget in the second tale of an ebullient first chapter-book series by Kate DiCamillo and Chris Van Dusen.

Customer Reviews

Jennifer Flamingo's Review
This is the story about Mercy (a pig), Mrs. Watson, Mr. Watson, Baby Lincoln, Eugenia Lincoln, and a Police Officer. In the beginning of the story we learned that Mercy wants to drive. Mr. Watson and Mercy go for a ride every Saturday in Mr. Watson's pink convertible. Every Saturday Mercy wants to drive the car but Mr. Watson says no. Mr. Watson gets distracted and Mercy jumps on Mr. Watson's lap. Mr. Watson is not happy that Mercy is driving but there is nothing that he can do. A police officer sees them speeding down the street with Mercy driving and tries to pull them over. They stop and Mercy goes flying out of the car. They call end up going back to the house and have a big stack of buttered toast. I like this story becuase the illustrations were bright and colorful and explained the story. This story is like Cinderella. Both Eugenia and the witch are ugly and mean and don't want anyone to be happy.

Great alternative to chapter series books
The large type, heavier page stock and vintage illustrations make this a great quality book physically. Everyone in my college lit class fell in love with it. Books #2 and #3 are definately better than book #1. I am awaiting book #4 due out shortly. The storyline is a little jaded with it's anti-feminist "wife in the kitchen" outlook, otherwise it's simpicity and family values are great. My AP son was able to read this in kindergarten with little trouble. It is a great alternative to some of the chapter series out there that offer more "junk" than quality.

Can Kate do anything wrong? It's another hit!
We love Kate Dicamillo. Mercy Watson Goes for a Ride is another hit on our list. Great story and illustrations.My kids LOVE it. With any book by Kate on your list you can't go wrong!