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Rocket and Friends

Rocket Writes a Story

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The #1 New York Times Bestseller

This irresistible sequel to the New York Times bestselling How Rocket Learned to Read is "a perfect choice to inspire new readers and writers," according to a starred review from Kirkus Reviews.

Rocket loves books and he wants to make his own, but he can't think of a story. Encouraged by the little yellow bird to look closely at the world around him for inspiration, Rocket sets out on a journey. Along the way he discovers small details that he has never noticed before, a timid baby owl who becomes his friend, and an idea for a story. Declared a best children's book of the year by Amazon, Barnes & Noble, School Library Journal, and Publishers Weekly, this book is sure to appeal to kids, parents, teachers, and librarians.

40 pages, Hardcover

First published July 24, 2012

74 people are currently reading
726 people want to read

About the author

Tad Hills

60 books123 followers
“Whenever I picture myself [as a child],” says Tad Hills, “I am doing art. I spent a lot of time on my own making things, drawing, and painting.” Hills was not consciously trying to become an artist, rather his motives were innocent and pure. “I liked making things,” he says.

As a graduate of Skidmore College in New York with a degree in art, Hills describes himself as the ultimate freelancer. He’s done some acting, made jewelry, makes fake teeth for stage productions, dabbled in interior renovation, and illustrated book jackets for adult trade books. But Hills’ break into children’s publishing coincided with his wife Lee’s new position as the art director for Simon and Schuster’s children’s book division. “Lee used to ask me to try illustrating some books she couldn’t find an illustrator for,” Hills says. When Lee moved to Random House to start her own imprint with long-time friend and associate, Ann Schwartz, she encouraged Hills to write his own picture books. “I started with four stories,” says Hills. His break out book, Duck and Goose (Schwartz and Wade, 2006) was one of them.

The idea for Duck and Goose started with only a title—The Silly Goose, the Odd Duck and the Good Egg. As Hills developed the story, he realized his egg would have to be rather large to support Duck and Goose so they could hatch it. Hills also had to consider what would hatch out of such a large egg. A dinosaur? An ostrich? Additionally, Hills floated the title by his son’s kindergarten class and was rewarded with blank stares. Hills took the hint and changed his egg to a ball, and changed the title.

“For me, the writing is really difficult. I stare at a blank page for hours,” he says. “When Lee comes home and asks me about my day, I say it was okay. I wrote one sentence. . .But when I’m in the zone, I literally hear the dialogue between [Duck and Goose]. They were telling me what they wanted to say! That is the best feeling. That is when it’s not work. It’s fun!”

Hills paints with water-soluble oil paint on paper, using colored pencils for the last details. Although Hills’ Duck and Goose characters look simple enough, he drew hundreds of ducks and geese before finding a style with which he was comfortable. “The first ones [I drew] were older looking,” he says. “They looked like cigar-smoking tough guys.” Over a matter of months, Hills finally pared down Duck and Goose to their essential elements—circular heads, long rectangular legs, triangular feet, and door-shaped beaks. “When I apply the eyebrow,” he says, “I can express what Duck is feeling.”

As Hills’ two children grow, he finds himself drawn to how kids treat each other. “I didn’t tolerate meanness or injustice as a kid,” he says. In Duck, Duck, Goose (Schwartz and Wade, 2007), Hills creates a friendship triangle by introducing a new duck named Thistle. Together Duck, Goose, and Thistle give Hills’ observations a voice and provide several conversation starters for parents and children.

Hills writes from his home in Brooklyn, New York. Some days he doesn’t write at all, but tries to stay receptive to what he’s experiencing. “Most of my ideas come to me when I’m not looking,” he says. “It’s hard to get yourself to a point where ideas are out there and you can grab them.”

from http://www.patriciamnewman.com/hills....

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5 stars
1,208 (45%)
4 stars
909 (34%)
3 stars
453 (16%)
2 stars
73 (2%)
1 star
30 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 306 reviews
Profile Image for Kathryn.
4,773 reviews
October 3, 2012
So cute! I really enjoyed Rocket Learns to Read and this story is perhaps even more dear to my heart because I love to write stories, too, and it's so adorable watching Rocket discover the magic in weaving words and expressing something you truly want to share with others. It's also a sweet story of friendship and the illustrations are humorous and charming.
Profile Image for Lisa Vegan.
2,907 reviews1,310 followers
November 30, 2012
I loved How Rocket Learned to Read and so I was very eager to read this sequel.

I didn’t expect to, but I liked this book as much as the first one. It’s so adorable.

As someone with many decades long experiences with writer’s block, my favorite line was “When he didn’t know what to write, he growled.”

I adore the illustrations, of Rocket and the yellow bird teacher, and the owl, and everything in the pictures. Rocket is just so, so cute, as are the two birds.

This would be a wonderful book to read to a child or group of children immediately before they started a writing assignment, particularly a creative writing project. It actually has some good tips about how to start and how to continue writing, and how to avoid discouragement and writers’ block.
Profile Image for Abigail.
7,950 reviews260 followers
October 14, 2019
Rocket the puppy and his reading tutor, the little yellow bird, return in this sweet follow up to How Rocket Learned to Read . Now a confirmed bibliophile and story lover, Rocket collects words, bringing them back to the bird and helping to create a word tree with her. Eventually, he decides that he would like to write a story of his own, taking inspiration from a pine tree, the nest it holds, and the owl who makes her home in the nest.

Every bit as engaging as its predecessor, Rocket Writes a Story pairs an entertaining and ultimately heartwarming tale of a young puppy learning the ins and outs of story-writing with cute-as-a-button illustrations. Author/artist Tad Hills captures both the pleasure and challenge of writing in his narrative, while his artwork, created with oil paint and colored pencils, depicts his canine hero's changing emotional state perfectly. Recommended to anyone who enjoyed the story of how Rocket learned to read, as well as to those looking for engaging tales about the trials and tribulations of learning to write.
Profile Image for Jonathan Peto.
282 reviews52 followers
May 2, 2019
The author just read it to the third graders at my school. I hadn't read any of his books before, but I enjoyed its quiet ambience. I will read more. The author's presentation and style is also rather folksy and good-natured. Good humored too. If you can get him, I recommend it!
Profile Image for Brenda.
967 reviews46 followers
October 3, 2012
Story building can be such a difficult task for some children but author Tad Hills introduces it in a fun way that children will understand. Adorable Rocket is guided by his teacher little yellow bird through the process of building his story. To first build his story, Rocket begins by labeling the things he sees in his environment, a tree, flower etc. each is written onto pieces of paper and hung on the tree. Slowly, Rocket begins to take what was just words and puts them together into a beautifully detailed story. It's fun to see his progress and also to see the effect that his finished story has on a special someone he meets. Nicely illustrated story and a wonderful message.
Profile Image for LauraR.
37 reviews1 follower
May 29, 2015
The perfect picture book for Kindergarten-2nd grade students, this books encourages students to "learn" how to write and where they can find their inspiration for this. Recommended by the International Literary Association, this Teacher's Choice book was honored in 2013 and is written by a New York Time's Bestselling Author. Rocket, who has already developed a love for reading (Sequel to Rocket Learned to Read), is learning how to write and what it means to be a writer.
This book has colorful images and reading it on the iPad, allows readers to enlarge and truly view all aspects of the image. Almost every page has a picture with text that connects the two together, which is one of the qualifying features of a successful children's book according to Temple et al. It appears that many of the pictures are computer-generated, which allows the pictures to be clear. Many of the pictures do not have a lot of detail, which creates a nice balance between the pictures and the words.
As a read aloud at the beginning of the year, or when writing is being enforced in the classroom, this book is a must have in any classroom library!
80 reviews
February 3, 2017
Nice book about writing a story. I liked it and so did my son.
Profile Image for Synthia Salomon.
1,215 reviews20 followers
January 29, 2023
My daughter loves this book and so do I! I get so excited when she chooses it for bedtime. Rocket inspired the writer in me to want to write again. Beautiful book for word lovers and friends.
Profile Image for Margaret Welwood.
Author 6 books53 followers
August 25, 2015
The children in the story circle are insistent--their teachers don't stand on pencils. Maybe that's because they're not like Rocket's teacher, the little yellow bird. With the pencil point in the ground, the little teacher stands on the eraser and looks her furry student in the eye. "Remember, stories take time," she says encouragingly.

Rocket sniffs out lovely words like buttercup, feather, and nest, and brings them back to the classroom in the meadow. The teacher helps him spell the tricky ones, and sometimes adds her own. Words like the and up aren't nearly as exciting as snail, flower and rock, but the wise teacher knows they'll come in handy.

Teacher and student hang their magnificent collection on a tree, and the little bird, a veritable master of pedagogy, allows Rocket to ponder them all afternoon. Perched on his head, she is, perhaps, biting her tongue while Rocket comes up with the idea all by himself--he's going to write a story!

And what a story it is--Rocket overcomes writer's block with the gentle prodding of his teacher--and embarks on a tail-wagging, growling, picture-drawing, walking-in-the-meadow-for-inspiration journey. And, like all worthwhile journeys, this one is shared. Rocket becomes a published writer, and the shy but brave owl finds a friend.
Profile Image for Jim Erekson.
603 reviews35 followers
February 22, 2013
I'm baffled by the high reviews for this book. It's the time-tested story of a puppy learning to write. I just didn't get it. Much like Marc Brown's Arthur books, I have no idea why the characters in this story need to be animals. It's token fantasy displacement with the only effect being to make the characters seem more cute. But a good illustrator knows how to make children cute, so why do we need it to be a puppy and Tweety Bird?

When I displace into an animal my identifying with the main character, I usually expect to experience something by 'being' the animal. For example, Wilbur's fear for his life in Charlotte's Web is gained by the fact that humans eat animals, and I could sense that horror. Even Bugs Bunny is always being hunted by one predator or the other.

Sure, I'm a hypocrite. This problem doesn't bother me nearly as much in the early Berenstain bears books (the later ones, yes), or in Hoban's Frances books. Authors and illustrators should know it's a device, and not just use it because they can. We expect major choices in writing and painting to be well thought out, and this one just isn't.
Profile Image for Mary.
3,564 reviews10 followers
September 23, 2012
Another lovely book about Rocket, the adorable dog who loves books and reading. "Rocket even liked the way books smelled. When he opened a new book, it smelled like a place he'd never been to, like a friend he'd never met."

Encouraged by his teacher, the wise yellow bird, Rocket sets out to write a story using all the words he has been collecting. This is a warm, gentle story about friendship and the creative writing process.

Profile Image for Read  Ribbet.
1,812 reviews16 followers
July 2, 2012
Tad Hills brings back Rocket who learned to read in his last book. Now Rocket learns to write. Cleverly revealing how writers find their inspiration, how they make word choices, how they unblock writers block. In the end, writing is about relationships as Rocket finds out. A great book for writing mini-lessons and fostering the urgency in Work on Writing.
Profile Image for Lorna.
1,270 reviews12 followers
September 1, 2012
I must say I liked the storyline of the How Rocket Learned to Read better than this one from a sheer entertainment perspective. However, this book is PERFECT, for sharing with young kids about the writing process. So many great ways to incorporate this into the Writer's Workshop process, even for kids in the upper elementary grades.
Profile Image for Alyson (Kid Lit Frenzy).
2,546 reviews748 followers
May 2, 2017
A companion picture book to Rocket Learns to Read. Rocket and the little yellow bird (his teacher) are back. This time Rocket is learning to write and he is going to write a story about a little owl. A little long, but still enjoyable.
Profile Image for Muphyn.
625 reviews70 followers
June 23, 2013
Free book at BEA 2013.

Really cute drawing but seriously weak story, there isn't really any point to it and seems a bit random that Rocket the puppy wants to write a story (huh?)... :(
Profile Image for Anna.
66 reviews3 followers
March 2, 2016
Love these books and read them aloud.
Profile Image for Anne Fox.
Author 25 books47 followers
August 4, 2023
Oh, how I loved this little book!

Rocket is a dog who is collecting words with his teacher for a word tree. One day, he decides to write a story using some of the words he's collected. When his teacher, a little yellow bird, advises him to look for some inspiration to write his story, he encounters an owl in the nest of a tree that he had previously come across.

Rocket proceeds to write his story about the owl in the tree, taking it back to read it to her as he writes new passages. In the end, he not only finishes his story, but makes a new friend.

When I was in 5th grade, our teacher had a "word tree" similar to the one mentioned in this book. Each student would look up a word they didn't know in their dictionary, write it on a leaf, stand up in front of the class to spell it and use it in a sentence (mine was "disconsolate"), and then attach it to a limb of the tree. At the end of the school year, the tree was full of leaves. This story reminded me of that. She also encouraged us to read and write, and even memorize poetry (I can still recite Robert Frost's "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening"). This little book has the capacity to encourage young people to do the same: increase their vocabulary and use their creativity to write about whatever their heart desires, which is what makes this story so wonderful.
Profile Image for Sheila.
18 reviews
October 24, 2020
Rocket the dog loves to read and find new words all around him. One day, he decides to write a story with all of his words. With a little bit of guidance and inspiration from those around him, Rocket learns that writing a good story takes time, practice, adjustments, and support from others.

This book was suggested to me by our school librarian when looking for cross-curricular read-alouds. This story could be used in the classroom in many different ways. Reading about how Rocket collects words, this book could inspire word studies or build on word families. Students could also use Rocket's story to create a sentence patterning chart by categorizing their own words by noun, verb, article, etc. However, the greatest use for this book, in my opinion, would be to use it to show the writing process. I can see it used for K-5 students to help them understand that writing is a process that requires brainstorming, revision, editing, as well as a beginning, middle, and end. It could also be used to emphasize the importance of an audience and peer editing. Rocket makes writing seem like a great way to spend your time.
380 reviews
December 12, 2018
Rocket is a dog who loves reading and writing. He collects words everywhere and brings those words to class. One day he decides to write a story, and while writing a story, he and Owl become good friends.
Rocket has a good teacher, the little yellow bird, who encourages Rocket to write a story. Rocket also has a good friend who inspires him to write a story about her, Owl, and listens to his story sincerely. When it comes to writing about education, it would be critical to have someone who can provide positive feedback and a writing-friendly environment. Without that encouraging contexts, it would be easy to become frustrated in writing. Illustrations are ordinary for children’s books.
150 reviews
February 25, 2019
(PICTURE BOOK)

This book would be great for having a discussion about the writing process (coming up with a topic, writing it out, editing it). It shows that it is not always easy to write. But it also shows the many strategies and resources that we have available to help us write. I also liked that Rocket and his teacher created a tree with the various words that Rocket would find or sniff out. It would be fun to create a word tree (word wall) based off this book. Have students add any words (and images) that they found in their daily explorations. They could refer to this tree when writing.
1,307 reviews7 followers
November 29, 2025
Absolutely adorable little puppy Rocket, playfully and patiently gathers words that are all around him. Little yellow bird is his teacher and also loves words and books, too. Soon, Rocket embarks on writing his own story. It isn't always easy, but with an appreciative and very special audience - it is rewarding!

A wonderful, warm-hearted book for encouraging little ones along the path to literacy, life-long learning, and friendship.

Those who love this book will also enjoy Carlo Loves Reading (Spagnol), Parsley Rabbit (Watts and Legge), Dharma the Llama (Cosgrove) and Library Mouse (Kirk).
Profile Image for Krystal Failey.
55 reviews1 follower
November 17, 2022
What a cute, beautifully illustrated book.

My 7 year old loves stories with dogs in them so this was right up his alley. He enjoyed the book very much.

The thing I like about this book as a parent is it encourages children to write their story and to take it one step at a time. It shows them stories aren't written overnight and writer's block does happen! The book indirectly offered strategies and solutions to writing problems they may experience. This is important as many 1st graders begin writing stories and struggle with ideas.

We recommend this book!
Profile Image for Angie.
2,849 reviews15 followers
January 24, 2019
My Review: I had picked this up a while ago and re-discovered in on my shelves, even though Munchkin is a little old for picture books we read it anyway. It turned out to be a great book to read even though he is older, the way that the concept of how to write a story is presented is fantastic. I like how it is broken down to just putting words together and using things that Rocket found interesting. This is a really cute story with adorable illustrations and so much to learn!
Profile Image for Shanna.
847 reviews8 followers
January 8, 2025
This is the sequel to Rocket Learns to Read. I really liked it because it does describe the writing process so well! It can be frustrating coming up with ideas for stories, but also inspiring and fun. It’s a whole range of emotions writing a story. And Rocket goes through them all! I think this is a fun story to read about the writing process and it’s also very cute.

Mia’s Year of Books: Day 298
Profile Image for Emily.
41 reviews
September 27, 2017
Great story for young readers to inspire them to write. It exposes the difficulties one may have in attempting to write for the first time and helps them understand this is normal. Shows young readers that writing is a process that takes time and space. Rocket learns that writing can be fun and help you make new friends!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 306 reviews

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