Bookworm - "Chowder"

Chowder is a bulldog unlike any other dog.  Everybody, including his owners and most dogs, thought of him as quirky and weird.  You see Chowder, tried very hard to fit in but he couldn’t.  Instead of fetching bones, he would happily arrange them like an archaeological find.  He didn’t like to fetch newspapers or go for long walks.  He didn’t like dog toys, instead he preferred to jam out to music via headphones and use the computer.  When his owners were working, Chowder would sit on the balcony and with his favorite toy of all, a telescope!  One day while looking through the telescope, he saw a billboard that announced a petting zoo at the supermarket.  He waited anxiously for over a week just to go the supermarket, he was hoping to make some friends.  The day finally arrived, the Wubbingtons and Chowder made a trip to the supermarket.  As soon as they were out of the car, Chowder zoomed to the petting zoo.  The petting zoo animals were in the middle of a kickball game as Chowder approached the corral.  Their red kickball rolled past the corral to Chowder’s feet, this was his big opportunity to make friends but something terrible happened.  He kicked the ball a little too hard and it got stuck in a tall tree.  After a few obstacles and moments of desperation, Chowder managed to get the ball free.  Now that he had fetched the kickball, Chowder and his new found friends began to play ball.  From that day on, Chowder and his friends always had fun together. 

About the book: 
“Chowder” is a 32 page hard cover book.  It was published in 2006 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers.  The book is suitable for children grades 1-4.  IBSN-10 is #0316011800.  The book is available here.  For more games and activities on “Chowder” click here.  

About the author/illustrator:

Peter Brown is an author and illustrator that was born and raised in Hopewell, New Jersey.   He studied at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California.  After traveling Europe for a year, he now resides in New York City.  Peter Brown has written and illustrated “Children Make Terrible Pets,” “The Curious Garden,” “The Purple Kangaroo,” “The Fabulous Bouncing Chowder,” and “Flight of the Dodo.”  For more info on Peter Brown click here.   

Reflection:

Have you ever felt a little out of place?  Or perhaps you felt like you didn’t fit in with a certain crowd?  I think we all go through times of experiencing low self-esteem or self insecurities.   It sometimes seems that our differences work against us, but these differences are what makes us unique and sets us apart from the billions of people in this world.   It’s time to change our attitude and to train our minds to think positive.