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Copywork
About This Passage
Kate DiCamillo turns a feeling into a flavor. Notice that the comparison is not 'as warm as a fire' or 'as safe as a hug' — it is something Mercy LOVES. The author lets us know Mercy by what she compares everything to.
Mercy snuggled up between them. Mercy felt warm inside, as if she had just eaten hot toast with a great deal of butter on it.
Full copywork activity with handwriting lines available in the complete study guide.
Discussion Questions
Narration Prompt
In your own words, tell the story of this chapter. What is the most important moment in it, and how do you know?
Discussion Questions
- Kate DiCamillo could have started this whole book with 'Mercy was a pig who loved toast.' Instead she starts with a song the Watsons sing about a 'darling one' and 'our mercy.' What do we learn from the song that we would not learn from the simpler sentence?
- Mercy feels warm and toasty when the Watsons are awake and singing — and afraid when the lights go out. Both things are true at the same time about Mercy: she is loved AND she is afraid. What do you think the author wants us to notice about how a creature can feel two big feelings at once?
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Vocabulary Builder
Item 1
a beloved person or pet — a term of deep affection
Item 2
tasting or feeling rich, smooth, and warmly comforting like butter
Item 3
made up one's mind on a course of action
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Critical Thinking
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