Henry and Mudge (The First Book) - Cynthia Rylant

This level two read together book is decked out in dog bones, including the outline of the title. One can tell from the cover that this book is going to tell a story about a little boy and his dog. The illustration on the cover page gives the reader an visualization of what is going to occur. I really like the simple art because it makes it seem as if the young child was the illustrator. The red colored boarder adds a pleasant visual to the overall book, I wish that the endpapers were this color also. The inside of the dust jacket has a nice little dog bone, I feel that this was a good addition to the page. There is not a lot of detail in the pictures and the typography is standard Arial 14 point font. I think that the author and illustrator did this on the sole purpose to make the book seem really informal. The story has a good message in the end that places more importance on the meaning of the book, instead of what it looks like. The pictures are placed at different parts on each page, making it visually appealing. On page 30, the illustrator decided to use the same picture as the cover. I feel that this was a good idea because it ties the entire book together. Page 38 is the only page that has no text, only an image and it is of Henry and Mudge. I think that this shows symbolism and is an excellent touch. On the back cover sleeve there are photos of the author and illustrator. I like how the pictures include the women with their pets. If I were to include this book in my classroom, I would have my students write a story about a pet and have them draw a picture of them with their pet.