Henry & Mudge: The First Book.
Our First Chapter Book Together
Introduction:
Welcome to your child’s very first chapter book experience!
The purpose of Henry & Mudge: The First Book (by Cynthia Rylant) is to gently teach your child my favorite format for reading chapter books. For this first book we will read together, build comprehension, and create a fun Reading Response Journal with a cute craft.
This is meant to be enjoyable — you do not need to have your child read this book alone. Reading together is encouraged!
What You Will Need:
Henry & Mudge: The First Book by Cynthia Rylant (available on Amazon, Paperback Swap, libraries, etc.)
1 Composition Notebook (for your child) + 1 for you (optional but very helpful)
Printed Comprehension Booklet (download below)
Printed Bone Templates (download below)
Construction Paper: tan, brown, black, and pink (for the Mudge craft)
Scissors and glue
How We Use This Book (Step-by-Step)
Read Together Read the assigned section/chapter aloud together. Have your child track the words with their finger, a bookmark, or you point as you read. The most important thing at this stage is that they are looking at the words while reading together.
Comprehension Questions After each section, complete the questions in the downloadable Comprehension Booklet. On this first book, they simply circle the correct answer.
Reading Response Journal (The Fun Part!) After reading each chapter/section,
Cut out the bone templates and number them lightly in the corner (1, 2, 3…).
After each chapter, write one simple sentence about what happened. Example: • Bone 1: Henry wants a dog. • Bone 2: Mudge loves Henry’s bed. • Bone 3: Mudge got lost.
Teach capital letters at the beginning and punctuation at the end.
On the right-hand page, glue the bones in order.
On the left-hand page, glue the Mudge craft.
Mudge Craft Download the Mudge pattern. You will need tan, brown, black, and pink construction paper. (Full instructions included in the download.
Final Note from Mrs. Bee:
This first chapter book is all about building confidence and joy in reading. We go slow, we read together, and we celebrate every success.
As you and your child finish this book, you’ll both be ready for the next one — and the Reading Response Journals will become more independent over time.
Enjoy this special reading journey together! 🐶
