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Mercy Watson Goes for a Ride by Kate…
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Mercy Watson Goes for a Ride (original 2006; edition 2006)

by Kate DiCamillo (Author)

Series: Mercy Watson (2)

MembersReviewsPopularityAverage ratingMentions
1,852449,035 (3.95)8
I can see how beginning readers would get a kick out of this funny series. I've not read the first - but I suspect that's the best. Don't read if you like buttered toast and are trying to eat healthfully. ( )
  Cheryl_in_CC_NV | Jun 6, 2016 |
Showing 1-25 of 44 (next | show all)
I think this book is missing a resolution of the ticketing of the pig driving the car. Unless forgetting about the ticket is the resolution and you're supposed to take that for granted. ( )
  drmom62 | Apr 21, 2023 |
I think this book is missing a resolution of the ticketing of the pig driving the car. Unless forgetting about the ticket is the resolution and you're supposed to take that for granted. ( )
  drmom62 | Apr 21, 2023 |
My daughter's favorite series! This is the first book she picked up. We have read and reread this book many times! ( )
  AngelaLam | Feb 8, 2022 |
It turns out there is something Mercy Watson likes almost as much as hot buttered toast: car rides! But Mercy would really prefer to be the driver...and she seizes her chance when Baby Lincoln surprises Mr. Watson by stowing away in the back seat ("indulging in some folly"). Officer Tomilello, who has a habit of asking and answering his own questions, goes in pursuit. ( )
  JennyArch | Jul 25, 2019 |
I really loved this book for 3 reasons, First, I love the illustrations. Chris Van Dusen does a great job keeping the illustrations bright, colorful, and relevant to the text. For example, when Mercy is driving Mr. Watson's car, the illustrations perfectly portray how someone might feel if a pig took the wheel of their car! Mr. Watson is terrified and Mercy is having the time of her life. Secondly, I loved Mercy's character. Although she is a pig, she is a well developed character that has her own unique likes and dislikes. She is funny and cute and keeps readers wanting more. Her actions are unique for that of a pig, but they are fun and almost human-like. Finally, I really enjoyed the recurring theme of toast. Mercy's love of toast is brought up multiple times throughout the book. It keeps the reader reminded that Mercy is thought of as more of a human child to Mr. and Mrs. Watson, which is funny. If you asked Mercy Watson, she would say that the big idea of this story is that life is full of surprises - like a pig driving a car - but in the end, everything works out. ( )
  pculve1 | Feb 15, 2018 |
I enjoyed reading this book because it grabbed my attention to see what was going to happen and kept me entertained throughout the book. I also thought this book was an easy read because of the short chapters, large text size, and emphasis on exclamations such as "Help me!" and "Oink!'. I enjoyed reading about Mercy Watson because she acts more like a pet dog than a pig. It was interesting to me to see the comparisons throughout. For example, when Mr. Watson and Mercy are both standing in the driveway ready to get in the convertible.
The central idea of this book, to me, was that there can be other pets besides a dog or cat or fish. Some people have pets that are way different than those animals. There may be people who live on farms with chickens and cows as their pets. It is good to know about various pets and animals at a young age, especially because a lot of children are unaware of certain animals. ( )
  marisasantos | Apr 4, 2017 |
Mr. and Mrs. Watson’s pig, Mercy, goes on their traditional Saturday cruise after lunch every weekend. Having a pig ride in a car is displeases the Watson’s neighbors, the Lincoln family. One Saturday during their cruise, Officer Tomilello pulls over Mr. Watson and Mercy for having a pig ride in a car. To their surprise, one of the Lincolns, Baby, was looking for adventure and snuck into the car unknowingly. She surprises Mr. Watson who loses control of the car, but Mercy takes control of the car. She is then driving when she stops the car and is ejected out of the car. She lands safely, much to the delight of Mr. Watson, Mrs. Lincoln and the police officer. When the officer is about to write a ticket for the illegal activities going on, Mrs. Watson shows up and invited Officer Tomilello to their house for dinner and then all is forgiven. This book is a good book for high readers in the early elementary years. The story is fun and even a little crazy, but the story is engaging to students through the pictures and the text is easy to read. Good story for students to AR test on.
  dennehycm32 | Feb 24, 2017 |
This book was not my favorite, I had a hard time getting into the book due to the characters. While Mercy Watson was supposed to represent a child in the story, she came across more as an infant that always gets what they want than anything else. Mr. and Mrs. Watson were described as a couple who bent to every whim that Mercy, including having Mrs. Watson make loaves of toast with butter on it, had which lead to my decreasing interest in the book. Another reason why I disliked the book is because the plot left many unanswered questions. One such part is when Mercy and Mr. Watson are getting pulled over by the cops, Mercy drives away leading to a police chase but once they get caught nothing happens. I feel as if this a major plot hole because it could have been used to teach a valuable lesson to young children about the importance of following the law, but instead the author made a joke of it. ( )
  mlanni1 | Sep 21, 2016 |
'Porcine wonder' Mercy Watson, whose story began in Mercy Watson to the Rescue, returns in this second chapter-book adventure. Although Mercy enjoys her weekly convertible trips with Mr. Watson, she longs to be the one driving, and when Mr. Watson is distracted by their unexpected stowaway (Baby Lincoln from next door), she sees her chance. Unfortunately for Mercy, her attempt to drive comes just as the convertible is being tailed by Officer Tomilello...

Like its predecessor, Mercy Watson Goes for a Ride is an amusing tale sure to please children who are just getting started with chapter-books. Mercy is a headstrong heroine, one with whom many willful young children will identify, and her (mis)adventures make for entertaining reading. This is a gentle world, in which the biggest 'adversary,' in the form of the disapproving Eugenia Lincoln, is usually conquered with plenty of buttered toast. The accompanying artwork, done in gouache by Chris Van Dusen, is vibrantly colorful and adds to the sense of madcap fun. Recommended to anyone who enjoyed the first Mercy Watson book, and to young readers who enjoy somewhat silly stories with a great sense of humor. ( )
  AbigailAdams26 | Jun 30, 2016 |
Who can resist a book recommended by a 7 year old? ( )
  euroclewis | Jun 8, 2016 |
I can see how beginning readers would get a kick out of this funny series. I've not read the first - but I suspect that's the best. Don't read if you like buttered toast and are trying to eat healthfully. ( )
  Cheryl_in_CC_NV | Jun 6, 2016 |
This is a goofy book about a pig who is treated like a human! It is fantasy simply because this doesn't happen in real life, but Mercy the Pig never once says anything more than "Oink!" Mercy and Mr. Watson go for a drive one day in his car, like they do every Saturday, but this time Mercy climbs onto his lap halfway through and starts driving! They get pulled over and driven home, where Mrs. Watson awaits them with piles of hot buttered toast.
Uses: I don't think I would use this in the classroom, but it is a fun way to get kids to read because it is just the sort of thing they find entertaining! As much as we want them to read more intellectual things, you gotta start somewhere!
Medium: gouache
  meggienell | Apr 15, 2016 |
I loved this second installment of Mercy Watson just as much as the first! The pictures were especially on point in this book. For example, there is an important scene involving Mercy's interaction with Mr. Watson's car. Instead of writing out the scene with words, the author chose to add a picture sequence (using the style of a graphic novel). Although this scene had no words, the pictures conveyed just as much information. It was really neat to take a break from reading and use pictures to enhance my reading experience.

Also, I felt that the beautiful language had a nice effect. For example, the author writes, "The car screeched. The car shuddered. The car careened. The car caromed. And finally the car stopped." This vivid imagery was paired with equally vivid pictures! Even though student readers may not know the words "careened" or "caromed," the style of this passage gave clarity to these terms.

Ultimately, the big picture of this book was that one should experience life without regrets. This big picture was expressed most clearly through the description of Mr. Watson. The author writes, "He backs the car out of the driveway very quickly. He does not look behind him. Mr. Watson is a forward-looking man. He does not believe in looking back." ( )
  ElanaRubinstein | Mar 22, 2016 |
pretty cute! I mean, a pig who loves buttered toast - what's not to like? Mercy is a favorite of my seven year old daughter's, so I guess she's becoming one of mine too! :-) ( )
  Stahl-Ricco | Jan 23, 2016 |
pretty cute! I mean, a pig who loves buttered toast - what's not to like? Mercy is a favorite of my seven year old daughter's, so I guess she's becoming one of mine too! :-) ( )
  Stahl-Ricco | Jun 3, 2015 |
This was a wonderful early chapter book about Mr. and Mrs. Watson and their pig Mercy Watson. Every Saturday, Mr. Watson takes Mercy for a ride in his convertible and Mercy wants to drive. Mrs. Watson always talks Mercy out of driving by offering an extra helping of buttered toast. One Saturday their neighbor, Baby, shows up in the back seat of the car while driving. When Mr. Watson is surprised by this Mercy takes the opportunity to jump on his lap and start driving. Mr. Watson's foot gets stuck on the gas and he can't get Mercy off. With an officer tailing, Mercy, Baby, and Mr. Watson careen down the road. With Baby's help they finally get the car to stop, but Mercy flies out of the car. They all run toward Mercy and pick her up and head back home where Baby's sister and Mrs. Watson are waiting with hot, buttered toast. ( )
  kvelin | Apr 20, 2015 |
This is the story about Mr. and Mrs. Watson who own a pig named Mercy. The pig however, is like a child to the Watson's. Every Saturday Mr. Watson and Mercy go for a ride around town. However, each time Mercy wants to drive and is convinced otherwise through food bribery. Every Saturday their neighbors, two sisters, groan about how "folly" Mr. Watson is of a driver and owner of a pig. However, the younger sister secretly disagrees and wishes to join them one Saturday. And so this is exactly what she does. One Saturday, the younger sister sneaks into the back of the convertible. While Mr. Watson is driving a police officer comes up behind him to pull him over for speeding. This is when Mr. Watson realizes the younger sister is in the back of the convertible. At the same exact time the big pig sits on his lap (controlling him with its weight) and takes over the driving. Now the police officer really wants to pull the car over, but Mr. Watson's legs are numb from Mercy sitting on him and so he can't press the breaks. The younger sister saves the day by coming to the front seat and stomping on the breaks. However, Mercy the pig flew out of the car. This overall resulted in no injuries, but Mercy did get in a little bit of trouble. In the end the police officer, the two neighbor sisters, Mercy and Mr. and Mrs. Watson sit and enjoy buttered toast together. This book falls under Fantasy because Mercy the pig acts like a child would act rather than a pig. ( )
  Ebarclift13 | Mar 16, 2015 |
This is a great series to introduce chapter books to children. The words are still quite large for easy reading and the chapters are small. I think the story line is also great children will have a fun time reading about Mercy's adventures.
  nicholew | May 31, 2014 |
I almost feel like this would be an early chapter book? I laughed out loud when reading this. Mercy Watson is a pig and much of the story takes place in a car. The best part is when Mercy is forced to drive and reaching the pedals proves to be a challenge.
  Talwold | May 19, 2014 |
This was a FUN read. The writing was certainly on level for a 6-8 year old. I read it aloud to my 4 year old. She was captivated by the story and I must admit the writing sucked me in too. I found myself wanting to keep turning the pages and sailing through the chapters to see what was going to happen. The characters were interesting and well put together - unlike some of the other characters we have come to meet in early chapter books (who tend to be one dimensional). We had a great time making up voices. The illustrations were bright and fun and really added to the story. We will definitely be reading the rest of this series. ( )
  dms02 | Feb 27, 2014 |
(I used this book for my visual literacy assignment.)

Mercy and her family spend every Saturday doing the same thing: eating breakfast and going for a drive. Their neighbor watches them wistfully. Until one day the neighbor decides to hide in the backseat and Mercy decides to plop in the man's lap and take over the wheel. They end up going on a wild ride that ends in eating an abundance of toast.

The illustrations add so much to this book. The setting is drawn realistically, but in a highly stylized and stereotyped way, and the characters are cartoonish. The pictures add excitement and humor and illustrate emotions and mood perfectly. It would be a great book to use with younger children. ( )
  BrittaSorensen | Nov 11, 2013 |
Kelsey is loving this series! ( )
  kriemer | May 8, 2013 |
Extremely fun and silly, the second Mercy Watson book introduces Officer Tomilello. Mercy and Mr. Watson always go for a ride on Saturdays, but of course the Saturday they drive past Officer Tomilello is also the Saturday that Baby Lincoln sneaks into the back seat for the "folly" and adventure she craves, distracting Mr. Watson just long enough for Mercy to grab the wheel. The result includes an indirect lesson about the importance of seatbelts and hot buttered toast for all! This series is great for the those readers who are beyond easy readers and ready for the very shortest chapter books. Plenty of illustrations by Chris Van Dusen provide support for the text, but the increased length of the book as compared to easy readers will help build reader confidence. ( )
  JenJ. | Mar 31, 2013 |
Saw this on the shelf while looking for books my son would like, and the illustrations popped out at me, as well as the author. Very cute book with great illustrations and a really great plot for younger kids learning to read. Loved the police officer and the 'pig' comment! ( )
  briannad84 | Feb 17, 2013 |
Age: Intermediate
Genre: Fantasy
Review: Because people would never have pigs as indoor pets or let them drive in a car, this story is unrealistic. But it has aspects of reality with driving, mean neighbors, and policemen enforcing the law. This makes is somewhat believable to the reader.
Media: Gouache
  shellybjorklund | Mar 21, 2012 |
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Candlewick Press

2 editions of this book were published by Candlewick Press.

Editions: 0763623326, 0763645052

 

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