Julia Donaldson and Sara Ogilvie’s ever-sniffing canine companion has a mystery to solve in The Detective Dog. Your class can get in on the action with this PDF full of KS1 cross-curricular activities based on the book…
Start your reading of The Detective Dog by talking about pets. Share stories about the dogs you know, then gather information about names, breeds and characteristics.
Do dogs have special skills? Talk about guide dogs and sniffer dogs, and a dog’s ability to distinguish smells.
Show children the front cover of The Detective Dog. What can this dog smell, do you think? Where have those children come from, and why are they running?
Share the whole of The Detective Dog so children can enjoy the story. Invite comments. What did you like? Do you have questions?
Now take time to explore the text and illustrations more closely, talking about details you might not have noticed the first time round.
If you could own a special dog, what would it be called and what skills would it have? Offer some dog leads and collars as props, so that children can pretend to walk their dogs.
Ask them to introduce their imaginary dogs, and tell the story of what happened when they brought their dog to school.
What is The Detective Dog about?
Books about dinosaurs, books about knights / Books about planets and meteorites / Books about princes who turn into frogs / Books about dragons and books about dogs…
Nell the dog loves visiting Peter’s school because the children read to her – until disaster strikes and all the books are stolen overnight. Have they gone forever, or will the detective dog’s super-sensitive nose help the children track the thief?
Needless to say, the ensuing chase is not only riotous but effective. The thief is discovered reading in a wheelbarrow – he just couldn’t resist all those stories – and in a pro-library twist is persuaded to sign up for a membership card and borrow to his heart’s content.
Meanwhile, back in school, the children write a story of their own. It’s a story about Nell, the dog…
Carey Fluker Hunt is creative projects manager at Seven Stories, the Centre for Children’s Books in Newcastle upon Tyne.
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