Sweet, M. (2008) Tupelo Rides the Rails. Houghton Mifflin.
Summary
Have you ever seen a video on Youtube or Facebook about an abandoned dog finding his "Fur"ever home? That's what Tupelo Rides the Rails really is to me. Tupelo the dog goes on an adventure with his favorite toy, Mr. Bones, in order to find somewhere to belong. Along the way he encounters other dogs with the same goal and tags along while they ride the railroad in search of their dreams. Tupelo finds himself in a bind when he doesn't have a bone to bury for the 'sacrifice' to the star dog, Sirius. Will Tupelo find his "fur"ever friend? Find out in this adorable story of believing in your dreams.
A Teacher's Perspective
The endpapers in this book are stunning. They're an extended constellation map that goes with the theme of sacrificing something for a wish to the star dog, Sirius. When you open the book, there is a fold-out timeline that tells various facts about dogs throughout history, and even tells about Tupelo's timeline. The story contains pop culture references such as Lassie and even Chip and Dale. There are three-page fold out spreads that add to the idea of adventure and the journey that Tupelo goes on to achieve his dream of finding a place to belong.
At the end of the book, there are constellation facts about Sirius that explains the legend in detail, which is somewhat different than how the other dogs explain it to Tupelo. The text flows on the pages, and the birds eye view of his journey is remarkable. This book is definitely one to read aloud to a class in order to show how images and text work together to create emotion.
Want to know more?
To purchase your own copy of Tupelo Rides the Rails: Click here!
Want to teach this story to your kids? Houghton Mifflin offers a great classroom guide!
留言