Meg and Greg: A Duck in a Sock

In Meg and Greg: A Duck in a Sock, 10-year-old Meg and her friend Greg find themselves faced with a problem that needs immediate attention in each of the four chaptered stories included in the book. In “A Duck in a Sock”, the pair’s afternoon at the park to feed the ducks turns into a rescue mission when they spot a dog with a duck in its mouth. How will they manage to get the duck safely to a vet? Next, in “Swish, the Pet Fish”, the pair of friends, before they can attend the Tall Ship Festival, have to clean the fish tank. When one of fish seems to have vanished down the bath tub drain, Meg and Greg set off to find a pet shop to replace the missing fish. And another adventure begins. In the third story, “At Chapman Ranch”, they are enjoying a vacation at Meg’s aunt and uncle’s ranch. As they set off to Glass Pond by horseback, they suddenly notice smoke - a wildfire. With no one at the ranch, they must hurry back to get the animals to safety. This proves to be a challenge. The final story, “Get That Sloth!”, takes place at Planet Fun Animal Theme Park. Meg and Greg head to the Amazon Jungle Zone to see the three-toed sloth. They spot it at the top of the tree canopy just in time to see it disappear through an open window. With no one around to help, they set off themselves to find the sloth. With the aid of a map of the park and the occasional appearance of this elusive animal, the duo find themselves chasing it down the Lazy River on a raft. Once they capture the sloth, finding their way back to the Jungle Zone with a cold, wet animal adds further excitement to the adventure.

Meg and Greg: A Duck in a Sock is the first book in the “Orca Two Read” series designed for shared reading with special features for a child with dyslexia or another language-based learning difficulty. Each story introduces a phonogram (a letter or letter combination that represent a sound such as ck sh, ch, th) and builds cumulatively on previously introduced phonograms. The shared reading experience between the child and an adult or confident reader incorporates special features to accommodate struggling readers and to provide an engaging and successful reading experience.

Co-author Elspeth Rae, a literacy specialist, incorporates a number of reading features to assist struggling or dyslexic readers. The engaging black and white labeled comic-style illustrations by Elisa Gutiérrez, the clear and well-spaced font and the shaded paper on the right-hand side pages makes the reading more accessible to a dyslexic reader. The four stories are engaging and well- paced, thereby adding interest and momentum to the shared reading. The “Introduction” and the section, “About the Meg and Greg stories”, explain how the shared reading works, describing the differences between the adult/buddy reader’s text and the kid’s text. At the end of each story, there are suggested activities that use the phonogram being highlighted.

There are many books focusing on leveled reading, but Meg and Greg: A Duck in a Sock is a series with a difference. The content will appeal to struggling readers who are slightly older than the ‘beginner’ reader. The humour, the graphics and the text features, combined with the chapter book format, will appeal to children in grades 2 to 4. The sharing of the reading between an experienced reader and the child allows for the inclusion of more complex text on the buddy reader’s page and a lower reading level with a phonogram focus on the kid’s page. This allows for a richer reading experience and a guided learning experience for the child. Children who aren't having difficulties reading will also enjoy the stories and would like the interesting format of the double-page spread with a page of text and a page of graphic illustrations.