Spike in the City by Paulette Bogan

Prompts
Use the following questions after the second or third reading of Spike in the City. There are questions for every one or two pages of the story.

1. Who is the dog in the picture? Who is the woman? (The picture shows Spike the dog and his owner Shannon.)
2. Where are they going? (They are driving to the big city.)
3. What is happening to Spike in this picture? (He is riding in an elevator and someone is stepping on his tail.)
4. Have you ever been in an elevator? What did it feel like when the car started moving up or down?
5. Why does Spike look scared here? (He is on the balcony of a tall building and he is afraid of heights.
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6. Where are Spike and Shannon in this picture? (They are on the sidewalk of a city street.)
7. What is the city dog wearing?(He is wearing sunglasses and a spiked collar and bracelets.)
8. What is happening in this picture? (Shannon has tied Spike to a parking meter.)
9. Who is standing on Spike's head? (pigeons)
10. Do you think Spike is enjoying himself? (No, he looks unhappy.)
11. Why does Spike look different here? (A truck has splashed mud on him.)
12. What does Spike step in? (chewing gum)
13. How do you think that feels?
14. What is Spike doing in this picture? (He is catching a Frisbee.)
15. Is Spike playing with his own Frisbee? (No, he is playing with the other two dogs' frisbee.)
16. What makes you think Spike is having fun now? (He is lying on his back smiling and looking at the dogs. He thinks they want to play.)
17. What does Spike see now? (He sees a cat on a leash.)
18. What does he see on this page? (He sees a man riding a bicycle.)
19. What is happening on this page? (Spike sees a dog riding on a skateboard and decides to chase after it.)
20. What is happening to Spike here? (He is caught under people's feet.)
21. Where is Spike on this page? (He is in the middle of a bunch of dogs.)
22. What does the man in this picture have? (He has a snake.)
23. Where is Spike on this page? (He is in the fountain.)
24. Why does Spike look worried? (He does not see Shannon and he thinks he might be lost.)
25. Who is Spike looking for in this picture? (He is looking for Shannon.)
26. What is happening in this picture? (Spike has found Shannon and is licking her because he is happy to see her.)

Vocabulary

The words listed below come from the story and its pictures. As you page through the book, point to the pictures and ask the child to name the object or the action shown. This will help the child learn new words. You can use the words below, or you can choose words you think will interest the children. Below are words for every one or two pages of the story.

• car, dog, mountains, ship, blimp, bridge, buildings
• shoes, purse, briefcase, pigeon, telescope, bricks, balcony, clouds
• squirrels, garbage cans, hot dog, sniffing
• sunglasses, sidewalk, collar, parking meter, leash
• truck, bumper, mud, car exhaust
• used gum, looking disgusted
• grass, tree, Frisbee, jumping, lying down, bow
• cat, wall, bicycle, pedaling
• skateboard, running, sitting
• inline skates, people walking, dog tags
• snake, hat, looking scared, fountain, water
• puddle, standing
• flowers, bushes
• licking, tongue, glasses