Sharon Hart Addy

When Zeb 'wishes' he had a horse to help carry his sack of flour home, he got a surprise, a horse. The next time he made a wish, he got another horse, then another for everytime he said 'I wish' even if he never said what he really wished for. After the first couple, he could see this was going to be a problem, horses appearing in the general store, in his ma's kitchen, but would he be able wear out his wishes?

Fun story for anyone who always has a lot of wishes, the moral would be that too show more much of anything can be bad. This book has great pictures even for the youngest of the family, the loads of horses and 'old west' style cowboys make you want to read with a twang. There is a couple of words that may need to be explained to younger kids, like the types of horses and "discombobulating" is always fun to say especially when used with a name like Mrs. Vander Snooty. Mostly just a fun story. My youngest liked it when Zeb tried to wear out his wishes and got a bunch of horses that pawed the ground. show less

Jake, the little boy in the book wants a dog. He hopes that he has enough gold to buy one. Once at the market, the store owner does not have a dog to sell him, but instead, a pig. Jake bought the pig because it had similar characteristics of a dog ( floppy ears, 4 legs, and a tail). He names the pig “ Dog” and from there they run into luck. From planting corn, to finding a goat all of these little things are such luxuries to them that they trade with other people. They share their luck show more with other people. show less

Summary: Jake always seems to get lucky. One day Jake and Pa find a gold nugget during the U.S Gold Rush that give them enough money to buy a pet. Since there are no dogs, Jake buys a pet pig that he names Dog. Dog has a nose for gold and assists Jake and Pa and their search for Gold. Jake soon realizes that he never got lucky, but instead benefited greatly from the hard work of his father.

Personal reflection: I really enjoyed this book because sometimes for little children it is hard to show more understand the concepts of sacrifice that come from our parents. I think this book would be great for promoting strong family values and hard work.

Class use: Text set on hard work, Text set on the U.S Gold Rush, and for a read aloud and open discussion about the relationship between Jake and Pa in the book show less

Jake and his dad went to the west to stike gold and become rich. When that doesnt happen, Jake begins planting corn and trading goods. His dad sees these as lucky but Jake knows the value of planning. Jake reminds me of myself because he likes to have a plan and a backup plan just in case that plan fails. The west was a place of exciting new adventures and Jake and his dad were ready for whatever came their way.