What do you think?
Rate this book
Gretchen The Bicycle Dog
Despite having lost her two back legs in an accident, Gretchen, an energetic dachshund, keeps her life moving in the right direction with the help of a creative set of wheels belted around her midriff, in a true story about a very determined dog with an incredible spirit for life.
32 pages, Hardcover
First published March 24, 2003
22 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
January 9, 2023
I love this sweet book about a dog who shows the world she can succeed!
Gretchen The Bicycle Dog is the true account of Gretchen, a dachshund who had a bad fall, twisted her spine, and learned to walk again using a cart.
I love how much emotion was written in this book. Kids may think of nonfiction as boring and dense and emotionless, but this was definitely not the case for this book. Through carefully chosen photographs, Gretchen goes through a wide range of emotions. This teaches kids that emotions are not just a human thing, and also gives cues to look for different emotions in animals. One of the things I did in this book was to ask the first grader I was working with to identify the emotions described based on various pictures of Gretchen. This book would be a great jumping point for social emotional discussions such as body language and feelings in general.
The student I was working with was also able to make a lot of connections because of her own dog. She imagined what would be different if her dog had a cart, without prompting. I chose this book specifically because the student has a dog that she talks about a lot, and she says she likes reading about them as well, so I thought this would be a good starting point for nonfiction. She made a lot of comparisons to what she knew of her own dog without being prompted by anything other than, "what are you thinking about." I would definitely use this book with and recommend it to students who have experience with pets and can make those comparisons.
I had a lot of fun with this one and would love to find more picture books that tell true stories of animals' adventures from their perspectives.
*
Gretchen The Bicycle Dog is the true account of Gretchen, a dachshund who had a bad fall, twisted her spine, and learned to walk again using a cart.
I love how much emotion was written in this book. Kids may think of nonfiction as boring and dense and emotionless, but this was definitely not the case for this book. Through carefully chosen photographs, Gretchen goes through a wide range of emotions. This teaches kids that emotions are not just a human thing, and also gives cues to look for different emotions in animals. One of the things I did in this book was to ask the first grader I was working with to identify the emotions described based on various pictures of Gretchen. This book would be a great jumping point for social emotional discussions such as body language and feelings in general.
The student I was working with was also able to make a lot of connections because of her own dog. She imagined what would be different if her dog had a cart, without prompting. I chose this book specifically because the student has a dog that she talks about a lot, and she says she likes reading about them as well, so I thought this would be a good starting point for nonfiction. She made a lot of comparisons to what she knew of her own dog without being prompted by anything other than, "what are you thinking about." I would definitely use this book with and recommend it to students who have experience with pets and can make those comparisons.
I had a lot of fun with this one and would love to find more picture books that tell true stories of animals' adventures from their perspectives.
*
April 14, 2009
My young nephews loved this 'true story' book about a brave little weenie who lost the use of her legs and uses a "wheelchair" to get around. Very cute story.
October 30, 2022
I love this sweet book about a dog who shows the world she can succeed!
Gretchen The Bicycle Dog is the true account of Gretchen, a dachshund who had a bad fall, twisted her spine, and learned to walk again using a cart. This book is great for working with children in social emotional learning, especially in ideas of feelings and the fact that they aren't just something humans experience. For kids who have a pet, this is also a great way to make comparisons and to imagine how life would be different for your pet if they were in this situation.
Read my full review on my Goodreads account for children's books
Gretchen The Bicycle Dog is the true account of Gretchen, a dachshund who had a bad fall, twisted her spine, and learned to walk again using a cart. This book is great for working with children in social emotional learning, especially in ideas of feelings and the fact that they aren't just something humans experience. For kids who have a pet, this is also a great way to make comparisons and to imagine how life would be different for your pet if they were in this situation.
Read my full review on my Goodreads account for children's books
July 1, 2011
I really liked this book and the way it was done. Its told from the viewpoint of Gretchen and it tells about her life from the time she was a puppy, about her accident and her family, how she became the bicycle dog and up to her old age.
It tells the story of Gretchen the dog and her accident that left her paralyzed in the back legs and how the family took care of her and helped her and how she overcame her new disability and lived a very long and happy life.
Its told so children can understand and in a very happy and gentle way. The writer has used pictures of Gretchen and her family throughout the book and its fun to watch her grow from a puppy to an older lady.
Great story!
It tells the story of Gretchen the dog and her accident that left her paralyzed in the back legs and how the family took care of her and helped her and how she overcame her new disability and lived a very long and happy life.
Its told so children can understand and in a very happy and gentle way. The writer has used pictures of Gretchen and her family throughout the book and its fun to watch her grow from a puppy to an older lady.
Great story!
April 9, 2013
Although this book is in our fiction section, it probably should be in the non-fiction. It's a great dog story and I have read it many times to older children. The book has a great lesson and wonderful photos. A must for any dog lover.
August 27, 2014
This story showed how this little dog who had an accident was able to cope to her disability, but was still able to live her life and have fun. This book would be awesome for teaching students that even when hard times arise, you can still overcome the challenge and still live your normal life.
August 19, 2015
A wonderful book for all ages but esp. helpful for reluctant readers! This book done in a scrapebook format teaches children and adults about how to overcome adversity and live your most joyful life!
December 23, 2015
I may have cried after reading this book as well...
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews