My Very Own Library Card

Kentucky Greetings, WoodyWatchers! Chloe, Frannie, Wally, CeeCee, Rudy, and of course Mom, Dad, and I have had the busiest summer already! Last week found us in Lancaster, Wiiliamstown, Lexington, and Booneville. This week will be busy too - but we will be close to our doghouse in Shepherdsville. We will be spending Tuesday through Friday at a different branch of the Bullitt County Public Library. Here is the schedule:

Tuesday - Lebanon Junction Library 10:00 and 1:30

Wednesday - Hillview Library 10:00 and 1:30

Thursday - Ridgway Library in Shepherdsville 10:00 and 1:30

Friday - Mt. Washington Library 10:00 and 1:30

Come see us! We will have a blast!

Here is a picture of Ms. Cheryl Clemons, the librarian at Grant County Public Library, presenting me with my very own library card! Can you believe that? MY OWN LIBRARY CARD! That means I can check out books in Grant County! I was so excited! My Scooby Doo wallet is getting fat with all my library cards!

I better say goodnight. It is time for a bedtime snack, bedtime story, bedtime prayers, then bedtime. Busy day tomorrow and busy week! Can't wait to see you! In the meantime, Work and Dream like a BIG DOG!

WOODY

Accidents happen!

Kentucky Greetings, WoodyWatchers! Our family just returned home from Sunday School, had a delicious lunch and a nice long walk! This week was so much fun! We spent the week in Flemingsburg, East Bernstadt, and finished it up at Campbellsville University yesterday!

The funniest thing happened yesterday - if you want to call it that! Mom and I spoke at the Beulah Campbell Reading Conference in Campbellsville, KY at the University. At the end of our session, Dad brought in a few more of my siblings. When he handed my baby sister CeeCee to Kaela (one of the conference participants), CeeCee got so excited, couldn't control herself, and did something that rhymed with her name all over Kaela. Megan didn't come out clean. Her notes were soaked! You've heard the old saying, "The dog ate my homework?" Well I wonder what Megan's professor is going to say when Megan tells her that "The dog had an accident on my homework!" Maybe Megan can show the professor our blog. Both Kaela and Megan were great sports! Mom gave them free books - and even gave Kaela a "Work and Dream like a BIG DOG" sweatshirt!


We couldn't have made it through the day without Jessica! Jessica was our helper. Our Chief of Staff for the day. She sold books, helped us set up equipment, took us where we needed to be, and even helped Mom find her way out of the janitor's closet when she got lost. Dad always says Mom is not the best at finding her way around. Yesterday was proof!


Anyway, we wanted to show you a picture. From left to right is Megan, Kaela (wearing different clothes than when we first met her), me, Mom, and Jessica! Isn't this a great picture?


I better go. We are going to take a Sunday catnap and then work on our new story that will be coming out in newspapers across the state in September.


Have a great day! And here's a piece of advice - if Dad ever hands you CeeCee, make sure you are wearing a raincoat!


Work and Dream like a BIG DOG!


WOODY

Riding Down the Highway

Kentucky Greetings, WoodyWatchers! It is Tuesday evening and our entire Gang is headed to Indiana for several days of presentations. I can't remember when our calendar was this busy! And we love every minute of it! I haven't gotten the Tour Page updated but I thought I would give you a quick update. It's hard to type since this road is bumpy, but hopefully you will get the idea. Mr. Nathan will have the deTAILS on the Tour Page soon!

Thursday, April 5th
Hunter Hills Elementary School
London, KY

Wednesday, April 6th
Ohio County Public Library
Rising Sun, IN

Thursday, April 7th
Ohio County Public Library
Rising Sun, IN

Saturday, April 14th
Barnes and Noble
Elizabethtown, KY

Tuesday, April 17th
Flemingsburg Elementary
Flemingsburg, KY

Thursday, April 19th
Hazel Green Elementary
Hazel Green, KY

Saturday, April 21st
Beulah Reading Conference
(Can't remember where - but Mom knows all the info)

Tuesday, April 24th
Camargo Elementary
Mt. Sterling, KY

That's all I can remember without my Scooby calendar, but I promise I will let you know deTAILS soon! Time to stop for dinner and a walk! Have a great night! More information soon! Promise! ARFF!

By the way, we don't ride with the back open, just wanted to show you what it looked like! The only other picture I can take is of my brother Wally. Other than that, I can't see much!

Work and Dream like a BIG DOG!

WOODY

PS - What about our WILDCATS winning the NCAA Championship??? Hip Hip Hooray!

Jet setters!

Kentucky Greetings, WoodyWatchers! As usual, I am beginning with an apology. I'm so sorry I've done a horrible, terrible, no good, very bad job on keeping up with my diary. Our schedule has been busier the past few months than it has been in a year or two! Don't get me wrong - we aren't complaining, but we are behind! In the past 10 days, we have been to Sedalia and Benton (both in Western KY), been to Berea (Eastern KY), Harrodsburg (Central KY) and Evansville, IN! Tonight will find us in Paris (Kentucky, NOT FRANCE) and Thursday our Gang will be in Owensboro. Yes, we are jet-setters! Only we don't have a jet! And we don't have an Irish Setter either. But you get the point.

So, between our travel and writing a new story, we've been busy. Don't worry - we've rested and eaten and played too! In fact, I put a few pictures up so you can see!

Better skee-daddle! It is lunch time and I smell some really good stuff coming from the kitchen! Could it be? Oh wow! Could it really be???? Yes - it is! My favorite! Chicken and eggs!

Have a great day! Keep in touch and Work and Dream like a BIG DOG!

WOODY

2012

Kentucky Greetings, WoodyWatchers! Hope all my friends had a terRUFFic Christmas and New Year! Our family had a fun holiday season. As usual, Santa Paws was very good to us! He brought each of us a present. I got a new stuffed animal that squeaks when you bite it. I love carrying it around and sleeping with it every night!

Chloe, Frannie, Wally, Rudy, and I all tried really, really hard to stay up until midnight on New Year's Eve, but we couldn't do it. Mom said we made it until about 9:30. That's okay, we all gave our New Year kisses when we woke up!

We took our tree down and was very careful about putting all the ornaments away so they would be safe all year. We have a Charlie Brown tree. We love Charlie Brown and Snoopy. So many of our friends give us ornaments. It makes us happy to look at each one and think about the person who gave it to us.

Everyone has been asking us if we have any New Year resolutions. I didn't even know what a resolution was but Mom explained it was making a decision to improve on something. I'm going to try to be a better drummer and harmonica player. I'm also going to improve my table manners! No more talking with my mouth full of food! As our friends in Ms. Hisle and Ms. Logan's class reminded us, nobody wants to see our yucky chewed-up food!

Speaking of Ms. Hisle and Ms. Logan, we spent the day with them before Christmas break! It was incredible! They sang "The Yellow Rose of Texas" for us. It was beautiful! They gave Chloe a run for her money - and you know how pretty Chloe sings the song! We're going to put some pictures on the blog of our visit very soon!

As usual, we're behind. We have a long list of things to do today. We are shipping books, getting ready for school visits to start again, sending updates to Mr. Nathan so we can get our online doghouse up-to-date, writing thank you notes, the list is endless! Since we're behind on our website, we wanted to post our January dates. We just sent them to Mr. Nathan so they will be on the Tour Page soon. In the meantime, here you go:


Tuesday, Jan 24
Boston Elementary
Boston, KY
Woody’s 5 Ways to Be Successful
Woody's 5 Ways to Improve Writing
School Day


Wednesday, Jan 25
Boston Elementary
Boston, KY
Woody’s Writing Workshops & Classroom Visits
School Day



Thursday, Jan 26
Boston Elementary
Boston, KY
Woody’s Writing Workshops & Classroom Visits
School Day



Thursday, Jan 26
Boston Elementary
Boston, KY
An Evening with the Pups
TBA



Friday, Jan 27
Memphis Christian Church
Memphis, IN
An Evening with the Pups
7 pm


We are very excited about January! Dad went to Boston Elementary when he was a little boy! They have built a brand new school since then and we hear it's beautiful! Chloe and I keep wondering if they will have pictures of Dad in the hall! I wonder if the principal remembers Dad!

We're also looking forward to Memphis Christian Church. Our friend Zoe's uncle is the minister at MCC! We will be on our best behavior!

I better skee-daddle! The list keeps getting longer and the time keeps ticking!

Oh - before I forget - this was a picture our family had taken in our backyard several months ago. We thought you might enjoy! It's too cold to be outside today with no shoes or gloves on!

Work and Dream like a BIG DOG!

WOODY

And... Chapter 10

Kentucky Greetings, WoodyWatchers! If you've been following Doghouse Divided, you know it ended a few weeks ago! Our faithful followers from Simmons Elementary in Woodyford County, KY emailed us every week during the course of the story. Chloe, the entire Gang, and I can't wait to visit them next week! Anyway, we wanted to share with you their comments from Chapter 10 and answer some questions they had. Before we get to that, I have a question for you! If you look closely at the illustration of Chapter 10, you will notice it isn't the same illustration that "made the cut" - that's business talk that means "the final one that was approved." So, if you look at the original and look at the one on the blog, can you tell the difference? How many differences are there?

While you're looking, I'll post the comments:

Dear Woody,



We are SO excited about your upcoming visit!! We have a countdown on the board and it is just around the corner. We can't wait to meet you, Chloe, and the gang. We are planning a special surprise, along with Mrs. Hisle's class, for you!


We were excited, and a little sad, to finish Doghouse Divided. We are glad everything worked out with the drumset and being able to play with the band. It seems like Chloe had a great time too! Hopefully this experience has taught you to calm down and not jump to so many conclusions before getting the facts. It's okay though, we do it all the time ourselves!

We still have a couple questions after finishing the book.

1. Since the 'Brother Against Brother' room at the library is finished, do you and Chloe still work there?

2. Will you continue to play with The Barkstreet Boys?


Ms. Logan is going to check out some of your other books from the library so we can read more of your adventures. We are looking forward to that!

We will see you soon!

Sincerely,

Ms. Logan's Reading Class

Mindy Logan
3rd Grade Teacher
Simmons Elementary

A surprise? For me? Wow! I can't wait! Yes, Chloe and I still work at the library, but not every day. We go in a few hours a week and help out with any projects Ms. Grant needs us to do. And yes, I'm still playing drums with The Barkstreet Band and Chloe is still singing. Her voice is pretty! You should hear her sing, "Ain't Nothin' But a Hound Dog!"

Dear Woody,

We finished reading "Doghouse Divided" today, and we loved it! From your story, we learned that the North and the South had a fight over slavery the fact that the Southern states wanted to create their own country. We are so glad the North won, slavery ended, and we're still one country today. We also learned the word "reenact" and we would love to see one someday.

We were relieved to learn that you earned enough money to pay off your broken window - Bet mom was happy too! Do you still have your drums? Are you still playing with the band?

Our class can't WAIT to meet you in a couple of weeks. We all screamed when Mrs. Hisle told us you and your mom are coming! We're still saving up money for the Woodford County Humane Society, so we'll let you know how much we raised when we see you. Are you bringing Chloe with you? Is this rest of your family coming to Woodyford County?

We hope you are staying warm in this cold weather? We were wondering - what do you like to do when it snows? Do you make snowdogs and paw prints in the snow? Can't wait to hear back from you!

Be careful on the drive to Versailles. You never know, it could be snowing!

Love,

Mrs. Hisle's 3rd grade reading class

Megan Hisle
3rd grade teacher
Simmons Elementary

We can't wait until our visit either! We are counting the days! Yes, we are still with the band. In fact, we have band practice later today. It's funny you mention snow. It's snowing here today. When it snows, we go outside for a short walk, build snowdogs, make snowdog angels, throw snowballs at each other, and run as fast as we can without falling down! Then we come in and warm up in front of our fireplace with a warm glass of milk and try to go from chilly dogs to hot dogs! It hits the spot and makes us sleepy! We also play checkers, read books, do our chores, and take cat naps! Speaking of, I better skeedaddle! Chloe just put on her sweater and scarf which means it's time to go outside.

Have a great day and stay warm! Don't forget to Work and Dream like a BIG DOG!


WOODY

Doghouse Divided Chapter 9

Kentucky Greetings, WoodyWatchers! Our rain boots and rain coats are at the door! We are only going out for bathroom breaks. We are having inside recess today. We are playing Checkers, Connect Four, Memory, and of course reading lots of books. I have a stack of Curious George right beside me!

We are counting down the days until we can visit Simmons Elementary. Here are the fantastically, terRUFFic comments from our friends in WOODYford County!

Hi Woody!

We are so relieved that you found your drumset. Also, we are glad you didn't call the police since there wasn't really an emergency. Like you, we are wondering why your drums are in that garage. It seems like there are also a lot of items from the Civil War in the garage. At least your mom and dad know why they are there.

The battles that occurred in Lexington and Frankfort are both close to Versailles. One person in our class actually lives in Frankfort. Our teacher is looking for an atlas of Kentucky so we can find the sites of the other battles that occurred in our state.

We hope that the problem with the band is not serious. We are thinking that the problem is someone dropped out of the band or is hurt and won't be able to perform. A solution to these problems is that Chloe could fill in and be a member of the band as well. We think she would enjoy that!

We would be very excited if you were able to come visit our school. We would love to meet you! Hopefully that will be able to happen. We are very much looking forward to chapter 10 to find out how the story ends. We always listen to your stories on Wednesdays. Next week we will not be able to listen because we will be out of school for Thanksgiving. That means we have to wait two whole weeks to find out what happens!

We will email you as soon as we complete the book. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving and don't eat too much!

Sincerely,

Ms. Logan's 3rd Grade Reading Class

Whoowee!!! Just remembering Thanksgiving makes my tummy growl! And here are the comments from our friends in Ms. Hisle's class:

Dear Woody,

What an exciting chapter! We loved hearing about you using your detective skills. If we had a detective kit, we would want a magnifying glass to inspect small things, a blacklight, and a notepad with a pen for recording our clues.

We researched the 11 battle sites in Kentucky and this is what we found:
Barbourville
Camp Wild Cat
Cynthiana
Ivy Mountain
Middle Creek
Mill Springs
Mundfordville
Paducah
Perryville
Richmond
Rowlett's Station

We think that the big problem Bark and Woody have is that one of the band member is sick and can't play. We also think that maybe Bark is coming to tell you that you're spending too much time at the library and not enought time with the band. Uh oh!

Thanks so much for sending the picture. Woody, you are SO HANDSOME! We think you are terRUFic!

Megan Hisle
3rd grade teacher
Simmons Elementary


A blacklight? I had to ask Mom what a blacklight was. I'm going to ask Santa for a blacklight for Christmas. I hope it's not too late! And did you say I was handsome??? Oh wow! I don't know what to say! Thank you very much. I bet all of you are handsome and pretty too. We can't wait to meet you!

Stay dry and Work and Dream like a BIG DOG!

WOODY

Chapters 6, 7, and 8 OH MY!

Kentucky Greetings, WoodyWatchers! All of the Thanksgiving leftovers have been eaten, our Charlie Brown Christmas tree decorated with our favorite wiener dog ornaments is on the mantle, we're checking off our list for Santa Paws, and we're making sure we are on our most terRUFFic behavior! Add that to my library job, band practice, school visits, and regular chores, and sometimes it doesn't seem like there are enough hours in the day. No worries - Chloe and I still have plenty of time to play and rest. You know the ol' saying, "All work and no play makes Woody a dull dog!"

Chloe and I had the most fantastic surprise last week! We found out that on Thursday, December 15th, we will be spending the day at Simmons Elementary. We are FINALLY going to meet Ms. Logan, Ms. Hisle, and all our faithful friends who have emailed us during Doghouse Divided.

As usual, I'm a weenie bit behind in posting their emails so I thought I would post 3 chapters this time. We love opening our mailbox on the computer and seeing the name Ms. Hisle and Ms. Logan! We have heard from many of our blog readers that you love reading their comments too. Well you are going to enjoy a triple dose today! Are you ready? Are you set? Here we go:

Chapter 6:

Hi Woody!!

We agree with your mom, you shouldn't jump to conclusions! We thought she may want something simple like you and Chloe running an errand. :) We bet you are relieved that it didn't have to do with the drumset...or the broken window. Is it fixed yet?

Our school library has a great book about Abraham Lincoln. We are going to check it out the next time we visit the library. We are sure it will have information about him being called 'Honest Abe' and the Civil War.

Your mom is right - just because something doesn't directly affect us doesn't mean we let it happen. Lots of students in our class have taken a stand against something. We all take a stand against bullying and stand up when people are being teased, even if we don't know the person. One student took a stand against people using bad language and other have taken a stand against animal abuse. We are sure you wouldn't sit back and let that happen!

Most of us think Bark is one of your and Chloe's dog friends who is coming over to ask them to play. A few think Bark may be a neighborhood bully or a dog who is going to give Woody drum lessons. One student thinks Bark may be a friend of yours who is a cat! Bark would be a funny name for a cat!

We hope to hear from you soon and are looking forward to chapter 7!

Thanks,

Ms. Logan's 3rd Grade Reading Class
Simmons Elementary

and...

Dear Woody,

We're so glad mom wasn't calling to ask you to sell your drums! What a relief! We predict Bark is your friend (who is a dog) that lives down the street. We think Bark may have come over to play with your drum set. Does Bark also have a drum set? Maybe you two could start a band together!

We are enjoying learning about the Civil War. We're learning lots of new things and we think it's awful that slavery existed. We never knew that people traded other people!

We can't wait to hear Chapter 7.

Megan Hisle
3rd grade teacher
Simmons Elementary



Chapter 7:

Hi Woody!

We are so excited about your opportunity to play in a band! That is going to be so much fun! We can't wait to read about your experience!! We think the perfect song for The Barkstreet Boys to play is Who Let the Dogs Out? We would love to hear that.

We are learning so much about the Civil War. We knew Abraham Lincoln was born in Kentucky but didn't know that Jefferson Davis was. We looked up Fairview and Hodgenville on the map. You would need to travel southwest to get from Fairview to Hodgenville. What city do you live in?

We think volunteering is so important and a way to be a good citizen. Some things that you and Chloe could do are pick up trash, plant trees, and grow a garden. We bet you like to dig so a garden would be so fun for you! You could give the vegetables to people in your community.

We are looking forward to chapter 8.

Thanks,

Ms. Logan's 3rd Grade Reading Class
Simmons Elementary

By the way, I was born in the city of Paducah, but I live in the city of Shepherdsville! I don't know what happened to the email Ms. Hisle's class sent regarding Chapter 7. Our cat Dolly must have been chasing the mouse again and deleted it!

and Chapter 8:

Hi Woody!

We were excited to hear from you! We understand about being busy, we get that way too sometimes. You sound like one busy dog! We're sure you get excited to crawl into your doggie bed every night.

Table manners are very important. We don't like eating lunch at a table where people have bad manners. We thought of some suggestions of how you and Chloe can improve your table manners.

1. Don't talk with your mouth full - Chew and swallow before you speak.

2. Don't talk about disgusting things - make sure the topics will not make anyone sick, or spit their food out!

3. Be polite

4. Take small bites - don't stuff your mouth full.

We are so worried about your drums! While we realize you panicked when they were not in the living room, we don't think you needed to call the police. We are thinking that your mom and dad may have placed them in the garage, the attic, or on the patio. Maybe they were getting in the way. Or, we are thinking that Bark came and took them for the band. We really hope you find them and nothing serious has happened to them. The best thing you can do is ask your mom and dad if they moved them.

We look forward to hearing from you and listening to chapter 9!

Sincerely,

Ms. Logan's 3rd Grade Reading Class
Simmons Elementary

Thanks! These are great suggestions on how to improve my table manners. I'm getting better. However, I got in a little bit of trouble at Thanksgiving for forgetting Rule #1 and Dad said, "Dogwood, we would hate to ask you to leave the table at Thanksgiving." I remembered your suggestions and didn't have any more problems!

and...

Dear Woody,

We were so glad to hear back from you. We figured the library job was keeping you pretty busy. We just finished listening to chapter 8 of Doghouse Divided. We have some suggestions on how you and Chloe can improve your table manners. First off, you should always say "please" and "thank you". It's also VERY important to not speak with your mouth full -- no one wants to see your chewed up dog food - YUCK! :) Also, you shouldn't talk about eating rats at the dinner table. That might make people lose their appetite.

We also know five rivers in Kentucky:
1. Ohio River
2. Kentucky River
3. Dix River
4. Green River
5. Barren River

Woody, if you think you were robbed you should first call the police. If something has really been stolen, they need to know. We also think that you're drumset is missing. Maybe it isn't stolen, maybe Bark borrowed it or mom moved it to the garage (if you have one).

We can't wait to listen to Chapter 9! AND we would love to meet you in person (and dog) too!!

Megan Hisle
3rd grade teacher
Simmons Elementary

Wow! You guys know your Kentucky Rivers - and your manners too! I think I've got "please" and "thank you" mastered, but those table manners are still getting me from time to time. I never knew people didn't want to see my chewed up dog food. I think seeing any kind of food is exciting and I thought everyone else did too! Thanks for pointing out my mistake!

Well, it's 7:30 in the morning. That means it's time for our morning walk and then breakfast! I just saw Chloe prance through the house with her sweater on (we don't want to be chilly dogs) so I better skee-daddle! By the way, we will be speaking and signing books tomorrow at the Ridgway Memorial Public Library tomorrow here in our hometown of Shepherdsville. If you are anywhere in the area, come see us! The program starts at 1:00, I think! If I find out I told you the wrong time, I will post a correction after breakfast. I'm starving and I've got to, well, let's just say I must go outside for my morning walk. (I'm trying to remember not to talk about disgusting things like going to the bathroom!)

Have a great day, stay warm, and Work and Dream like a BIG DOG!


WOODY

Catching Up with Chapter 5

Kentucky Greetings, WoodyWatchers! Where has time gone? I can't believe we are already in the month of November! We are looking forward to Thanksgiving! Mom always lets us help plan the menu. I can taste the gravy and pumpkin pie now!

The job at the library has kept us so busy. That's why I've been a weenie bit behind on the blog. Our faithful friends from Simmons Elementary in WOODYford County sent us there responses to Chapter 5. Chloe and I love opening our inbox and seeing Ms. Hisle's and Ms. Logan's name! They give such great advice! We must get to Simmons Elementary and meet our new best friends in person!


Dear Woody,

We're so glad you got to keep the job at the library. It's ok, we all have late fees at the library sometimes, but it's best to try to turn books in on time.

We have a couple of different ideas about why mom called you at the library. First, some of us think mom may be calling just to see when you're going to be home, so you might not have anything to be worried about. However, some of us agree with you and think mom may be calling about the drum set. Since you accidentally broke the window with your drumsticks, she might think other things are going to get broken - maybe another window! You already have to fix one window, so it may be best to not keep the drum set if you don't want to have to pay for something else that might break.

We researched who the president was during the Civil War and we learned that it was Abraham Lincoln. We also learned he was the sixteenth president!

We can't wait to hear what happens in Chapter 6!

Megan Hisle

3rd grade teacher

Simmons Elementary

Ms.Logan's Class sent this response to Chapter 5:

Hi Woody!

We missed you while we were on fall break! We all had a great break, but we were ready to get back to school.

We are so interested in learning more about the Civil War. We went on a field trip to the Lexington History Museum last week and there was a exhibit about Abraham Lincoln. We know he was the president during the Civil War. We came up with three reason why the states could be at war. The first was slavery, the second was the right to make their own laws, and the third was independence.

We often have arguments with our friends and siblings so we have lots of advice on what to do to solve a disagreement. Here is the list we made.

1. Walk away

2. Talk it out

3. Share and take turns

4. Ignore the person

5. Wait and cool off

Even though it isn't fun, disagreements happen and it is important to know the right way to solve an argument without more fighting.

We are also worried about what your mom has to say! We think she may want you to run an errand on the way home, let you know that she isn't going to be home when you get there, or to let her know when you leave the library so she will know when to expect you and not worry. We hope it isn't something serious...or that you aren't in trouble for something!

We are looking forward to hearing from you and listening to chapter 6.

Ms. Logan's Reading Class

Mindy Logan
3rd Grade Teacher
Simmons Elementary




Thanks again for the email and your comments! I have chores to do, drums to practice, and a library job to get ready for. Therefore, I better skee-daddle! Again, keep those comments coming! I will post your other comments in a day or two!

I'm off to work! Have a great day and Work and Dream like a BIG DOG!

WOODY

Three Cheers for Madison Payne!

Kentucky Greetings, WoodyWatchers! If you are a regular follower of our blog, you know Madison Payne. Madison is a 3rd grade student in Knox County who is one the smartest people we have ever met - and for a wiener dog, I've met thousands of people! A few months ago Madison had a school project where she had to spotlight an author. She chose Mom. She interviewed Mom via email and then put together this masterpiece! Isn't it incredible? We thought you might like to see the questions and answers from the interview. Here are a few just so you can get a sample of Madison's great work!

Where were you born?
Murray, KY. I actually grew up in a little town right outside of Murray called Kirksey. Murray is known for the World’s Best and Busiest Dairy Queen and also the National Boy Scout Museum.

What is your favorite book?
Too many to name. As a child, my favorite book was The Little Mommy by Sharon Kane and also The Pokey Little Puppy by Janette Lowrey. Both are Little Golden Books – and I still have both of those books on my bookshelf!

What is your favorite woody book?
Probably the very first book, The Adoption. I like that one because it is the story of Woody and me. It introduces Woody and everyday when I share the story with kids, it reminds me of meeting Woody for the very first time.

How many animals do you have? What are they? What are their names?
Chloe – 11 year old red, miniature dachshund (from Texas)
Woody – 10 year old black-and-tan miniature dachshund (from Kentucky)
Frannie – 8 year old red tweenie dachshund (from Alabama)
Wally – 2 year old black-and-tan standard dachshund (from Louisiana)
CeeCee – 8 month old red miniature dachshund (from Arkansas)
Boulder – 4 year old black Labrador Retriever
Santa Fe – 5 year old black Labrador Retriever
Moose – 1 year old beagle
Dolly – a cat
Crazy – a cat

Wow! I never knew there were so many of us until I saw our names listed! Anyway, once again we give 3 cheers for Madison - Hip, Hip Hooray! Hip, Hip Hooray, Hip, Hip Hooray!

Mom said that Madison and Taylor may be visiting their uncle soon. We can't wait for the girls to meet all our gang!

I better get to bed! I think I will have Mom pull out The Pokey Little Puppy for our bedtime story! Sweet Dreams, Everyone! Speaking of dreams, don't forget to Work and Dream like a BIG DOG!


WOODY

Chapter 4

Kentucky Greetings, WoodyWatchers! Hope you're enjoying this sunny day! The weather man says we will turn from hot dogs to chilly dogs tonight. Chloe and I have to find our sweaters for our morning walk! Our good friends from WOODYford County just sent us an email about Chapter 4. Here is the email from Mrs. Hisle's Class:

Dear Woody,

Here are some things we think you could have done at your job interview to make a good impression. First, it probably would have helped if you were quieter in the library. We understand though - sometimes it's hard to be quiet! We also think that using best manners makes a good impression. For example, you should say "Yes, ma'am, no ma'am, and no thank you". Finally, we think if you assure the librarian that you will work hard, that will make a good impression.

We wanted to let you know that we have saved around $26 for the Woody-ford County Humane Society. We're going to keep saving money during all the weeks that we read your story. We'll let you know how much we end up saving.

By the way, you won't hear from us next week because we have a week long fall break. Here are some things that kids in our class are going to be doing over the break: hunting, playing video games, GO THE Woody-ford LIBRARY, visiting grandparents, watching tv (but not too much), staying up late, visiting an aunt and family in Ohio, going on a cruise in Florida, visiting cousins, riding four-wheelers with cousins, sleeping in, staying with grandma, watching movies, and playing on the computer, watching scary movies, going to New York to visit grandpa, and we're going to be reading A LOT!

Thank you so much for putting our emails on your blog. We love reading them there!


We'll talk to you soon!

Mrs. Hisle's 3rd grade reading class

P.S. We have a George in our class and he likes Curious George books!

Megan Hisle
3rd grade teacher
Simmons Elementary

Great job on the money! That's terRUFFic! Tell George that he has great taste in books!

Here's an email from Ms. Logan's class:

Hello Woody!


We just finished chapter 4 and we are very excited that you got a job! We thought of ways you could have made a good impression for the job interview. First, we think you should keep in mind what the library rules are. When you go there, yelling is not okay and you should not do this if you want a job at the library. Second, you should tell why you would be perfect for the job. Third, we think you should mention that you love books since it is a job at the library.


Although our prediction about the job being a drummer for a band was incorrect, some students in our class had the prediciton that the job would have something to do with the library!!

We think you and Chloe will have a good time working on the Brother Against Brother room and will also learn a lot about the Civil War. We are so worried about your getting to keep the job since Mrs. Grant said she has a problem with hiring you. We predict that Mrs. Grant is unable to hire you because you are a dog or maybe because you were yelling in the library.

We have some questions while we are reading.


1. If you don't get hired for the library job, will you look for another job?

2. Do have trouble reaching the shelves in the library to get books?

3. Since you like going to the libary, why do you not follow the rules while you are there?

4. How much money have you earned to pay for the window?


We are looking forward to chapter 5. We will be on fall break next week, so we will have to listen to chapter 5 when we return.

Thanks, Woody!

Ms. Logan's 3rd Grade Reading Class

Mindy Logan
3rd Grade Teacher
Simmons Elementary

Great advice friends - especially the part about not yelling in the library! What was I thinking? In answer to your questions, if I don't get the job at the library, I will have to find another job. I have a broken window to pay for. The Dog and Suds Car Wash has an ad for car washer, so if the library doesn't work out, I will apply there! I will keep your advice in mind! Yes, it is very hard to reach the shelves. One time while visiting the library, I stacked lots of books on top of each other to reach a Curious George book. I won't tell you what happened, but if you think my yelling caused commotion, try watching a tower of books fall down with a wiener dog mid air!

It's not that I don't want or try to follow the rules - it's that my excitement gets the best of me! I'm really going to take your advice! So far, I've raised $2.78 so I've got a way to go!

Thanks everyone! Enjoy the last warm day and keep those emails coming!

Work and Dream like a BIG DOG!

Your friend -

WOODY

Comments from Woodyford County

Kentucky Greetings, WoodyWatchers! Everyone at our doghouse is up early today. Our family is traveling to London - Kentucky, that is - for a school visit today. I finished my breakfast early so before we crawled in The Woody Bus, I wanted to share our comments from our good friends at Simmons Elementary in Woodyford County! The 3rd Graders from Ms. Logan's class and Ms. Hisle's class get the prize for being our faithful followers! Chloe and I love hearing from them each week!

Hi Woody!

We can't believe that you broke the kitchen window with the drum sticks! We know we would have to save up a lot of money to fix a window and our parents would not be very happy with us!! Did you get a punishment for breaking the window?

The name of our local library is the Woody...ooops - we almost did it this time! The Woodford Public Library. Almost all of the students in our class have a library card and lots of us go there to check out books. We searched our school catalog for Curious George and found that there are seventeen books and several videos. None of us were alive when the book we looked at was printed, but our teacher, Ms. Logan, was three years old.

Our prediction for the job advertisement is that Woody has seen an ad for a band. We think this band is looking for a drummer and Woody thinks he will be perfect for the job. We can't wait until next week to see what all the excitement is about.

Thanks for putting our email on the blog so our families can see it! We love listening to your story each week!

Thank you,

Ms. Logan's 3rd Grade Reading Class

Simmons Elementary

and...

Dear Woody,

We are excited to tell you that we've been collecting money for the Woodford County Human Society too - just like Ms. Logan's class. We're going to count how much we've raised on Friday, so we'll let you know next week how much we have so far!

We LOVED the Goober pea song...we thought it was pretty funny! We are so excited that our prediction was correct! We're sorry the kitchen window was broken and we hope you get it replaced soon.

By the way, most of us have a library card to the Woodyford County Library - hahaha!. We're working on having 100% of our class with a library card.

Our prediction for chapter 4 is that you saw an ad for a drumming job. We think this because we know how much you like drumming, plus you already have a drum set.

We love seeing our emails on your blog! We're going to look up the Curious George author and series, because a lot of us like reading those books to. Which Curious George book is your favorite? Also, we were wondering what your favorite band is, since you like drumming so much!

Your friend,

Mrs. Hisle's 3rd grade reading class

Megan Hisle
3rd grade teacher
Simmons Elementary


In case you're wondering the same thing, my favorite Curious George book is Curious George Goes to the Hospital. If you haven't read it, check it out. As far as my favorite band goes, stay tuned to the story and you will find out! I bet I'll be singing Goober Peas all the way to London now that the song is in my head!

Have a great day and Work and Dream like a BIG DOG!


WOODY

Three Cheers for Ms. Logan and Ms. Hisle

Kentucky Greetings, WoodyWatchers! Our family is getting ready to visit Anchorage Elementary. Dad is packing the Woody Bus, Mom is making sure all 5 of us have our collars and leashes, and my brother and sisters are packing their backpacks for the day. I wanted to write in my journal before I hopped in the Woody Bus.

If you're following Doghouse Divided, you know at the end of Chapter 1 I had a little trouble with my drumsticks. Ms. Logan's class and Ms. Hisle's class at Simmons Elementary in Woodford County have been reading faithfully and sending emails. We love opening our inbox and seeing emails from our friends. We wanted to share:

Hi Woody,

Our class started collecting money for the Woodford Humane Society. We thought it was funny that you called it the Woodyford Humane Society!! We are going to collect money the whole time we are reading your book. Then, we are going to invite someone from the Humane Society to our class to collect our donation. We will keep you posted on how we are doing with this.

Chapter 2 was great! We were suprised to see that it was a drumset. Our prediction was not correct! We talked about drumsets and instruments. Our music teacher will be happy that we knew all four families without having to look them up! Someone in our class wants a drum set but their parents said they were too noisy! We hope your drumset doesn't start a civil war in your neighborhood.

We think Woody is in the doghouse because his drum sticks came down and hit someone in the head. This will definitely cause him to get in trouble. Especially since his mom and dad are not happy with the new purchase.

Thank you for emailing us back. We are really excited about listening to chapter 3 next week. Also, we were excited to see our post on the blog!!!

Hope to hear from you soon,

Ms. Logan's 3rd grade reading class

Simmons Elementary

and

Dear Woody,

We love the story "Doghouse Divided"! Our favorite part was when Woody did the drum roll on his new drum set! Our class can't agree on what we think Woody's drumsticks hit, but our prediction is that they either broke a window or an overhead light. We know the drumsticks made a clanging noise, so we think something definitely broke. We can't wait to find out what happens next!

Your friends,

Mrs. Hisle's 3rd grade reading class

Simmons Elementary

We are hoping we can meet Ms. Logan and Ms. Hisle and their classes one day! In fact, if we were in the 3rd grade, we would hope we would have a teacher like one of them! Three cheers for them and their students for their hard work! Hip Hip Hooray, Hip Hip Hooray, Hip Hip Hooray!

Dad is calling me so I better skee-daddle! Stay tuned for Chapter 3. Enjoy the weather and Work and Dream like a BIG DOG!

WOODY

Doghouse Divided - Chapter 1

Kentucky Greetings, WoodyWatchers! Hopefully you have begun reading Doghouse Divided. If you haven't, it's not too late! This week is Chapter 2 - so there is plenty of time to catch up! If you read Chapter 1, you will know that Chloe and I came home from a yard sale, excited about our new purchase! As members of the work force, we work hard for our money. We save some, give some to charity, and spend some. It was sure fun spending some at the yard sale. The man at the yard sale talked about the Civil War. We asked our readers the following questions:

1. If you were giving money to charity, which charity would you choose and why?

2. What do you know about the Civil War?

3. What do you think Chloe and I have purchased?

Here are two responses from Simmons Elementary in Woodford, not to be confused with Woodyford, County:


Hi Woody!

We really liked chapter one of Doghouse Divided. We are looking forward to listening to the rest of the book. Our class decided that we would donate our money to the Woodford Humane Society. That is the animal shelter in our town, Versailles. We thought you would really like this since you are a dog. We didn't know much about the Civil War so we are excited to learn with you. What we do know is that wars are deadly, a civil war is a war against our own country, there were drummer boys in the civil war, and it was a fight between the north and south over slavery.

We are very curious to find out what you and Chloe purchased at the yard sale. Our prediction is that it is a cannon or maybe cannon balls.

We can't wait for chapter two!

Thank you,

Ms. Logan's 3rd Grade Reading Class
Simmons Elementary
Versailles, Kentucky

and also

Dear Woody,

If we were raising money for a charity, we would send money to an animal shelter. We would do this to save animals, so they can have food, shots, and water. While we're reading "Doghouse Divided" we're going to try to raise some money for the Woodford County animal shelter.

Here's what we know about the Civil War:

1. The Civil War was fought to free slaves.

2. African Americans were never treated well in the South.

3. Slaves tried to get to the North, because they were treated better.

Our prediction is that Woody bought a cannon or sword from the Civil War, since he was pulling it in a wagon.

We can't wait to hear back from you!

Mrs. Hisle's 3rd grade reading class

Megan Hisle
3rd grade teacher
Simmons Elementary




Chloe and I love reading your comments, so keep 'em coming! Study hard, stay tuned, and Work and Dream like a BIG DOG!


WOODY

Dee-lish Treat

If you wonder why my tongue, as well my sister CeeCee's tongue, is hanging out in this picture, it's because we just ate the most delicious dog treat! Mom got a letter in the mail from one of our fans in Murray, KY. Murray is Mom's hometown, so we have lots of people we love in that town! Anyway, here is what Mom's letter from Paige said (typed just like Paige wrote it):

Hi, leigh ann florence

i'm your biggest fan. I know Woody probly likes dog treats so i got a recipet for some. 1 teaspoon corn starch, 3 cups flour, and Bacon bitts. Bake it a 350 for 20 min and let cool. I hope he likes them and Chloe too. Please write back.

Your biggest fan,

Paige

Well Paige, Chloe and I, along with the rest of our gang, can tell you that we didn't like them! No - we LOVED them! We scarfed them down with a cold glass of milk. Talk about yummy! If you have any other recipes, please send them our way! You made us - and our tummies - very happy!

Have a great day!

Work and Dream like a BIG DOG!

WOODY

My Upcoming Calendar

Kentucky Greetings, WoodyWatchers! Once again I was delayed in sending Mr. Nathan our Tour Dates. They keep coming in, but here is a good start for September and October! Hope to see you!

Saturday, September 10th
Calloway County Public Library
Murray, KY
A Morning with the Pups
10:30 CST

Tuesday, September 13th
Cumberland Trace Elementary
Bowling Green, Ky
Success/Writing/Family Reading
School Day and Eve CST

Thursday, September 22nd
Great Day Live
WHAS-11 TV
Television Interview
9:00 to 10:00

Friday, September 23rd
Taste of KY, Mall St. Matthews
Louisville, KY
Book Signing
4:00 to 6:00

Saturday, September 24th
Camp Butterfly
Madisonville, KY
Woody’s Five Ways to Be Successful
Private Event

Tuesday, September 27th
Anchorage Elementary
Anchorage, KY
Success/Family Reading Night
School Day and Eve

Saturday, October 1st
Okolona Christian Church
Louisville, KY
Chloe’s Five Ways to Be Beautiful
2:00

Tuesday, October 4th
Colony Elementary
London, KY
Success/Writing/Family Night
School Day and Eve

Tuesday, October 18th
Natcher Elementary
Bowling Green, KY
Woody’s Five Ways to Be Successful
6:00 CST

Friday, October 28th
Kentucky Reading Conference
Lexington, KY
Professional Development with Woody
1:45 to 3:00


See you soon! Work and Dream like a BIG DOG!


WOODY

Doghouse Divided

Kentucky Greetings, WoodyWatchers! Time is ticking until our new story, Doghouse Divided premieres in the newspapers across Kentucky. Chloe and I spent some time putting a list together for you. If you don't see your paper on the list, call your newspaper's publisher and say, "Hey Mr. or Mrs. Publisher. Why aren't you running the story Woody wrote?" Publishers love to hear from their readers so call, email, snail mail, send them a telegram, or even a message using a pigeon! Desperate times call for desperate measures! Here is the list:

Adair County Community Voice
Advocate Messenger
Ballard Weekly
Barren County Progress
Beattyville Enterprise
Bowling Green Daily News
Butler County Banner
Cadiz Record
Carlisle Mercury
Casey County News
Central Kentucky News Journal
Clay City Times
Dawson Springs Progress
Eagle Post
Edmonton Herald
Falmouth Outlook
Franklin Favorite
Garrard Central Record
The Gleaner
Georgetown News-Graphic
Harrodsburg Herald
Hart County News Herald
Henry County Local
Kentucky New Era
Kentucky Standard
Lake News
Lebanon Enterprise
Ledger Independent
Lexington Herald Leader
London Sentinel Echo
Lyon County Herald Ledger
Madisonville Messenger
Marshall County Tribune Courier
Mayfield Messenger
McCreary County Voice
Meade County Messenger
Messenger Inquirer
Mountain Advocate
Mt. Sterling Advocate
Mt. Vernon Signal
Murray Ledger & Times
News Democrat
News-Enterprise
Oldham Era
Paducah Sun
Pioneer News
The Record
Spencer Magnet
Times Journal
Times Leader
Times Tribune
Todd County Standard
Trimble Banner
Union County Advocate
Wayne County Outlook
Winchester Sun

Let's help this list grow!

Also, I will put my schedule on my blog soon as well as on the Tour Page so stay tuned! Have a great day and Work and Dream like a BIG DOG!

WOODY

Doghouse Divided

Kentucky Greetings, WoodyWatchers! No worries - our doghouse is not really divided! It's the name of our new serial story that will premiere in September. This year, Kentucky will commemorate (or remember) our state's role in the Civil War that occurred 150 years ago! Therefore, Chloe and I thought it was only fitting we wrote a story about The War Between the States. We couldn't believe all we learned about the Civil War and we barely scratched the surface! We're looking forward to learning more about our state's heritage!

Doghouse Divided will also debut the work of our new illustrator, Donnie Mather. Mr. Donnie is so talented! We were happy to cross paths with him after PBJ passed away. You are going to love Mr. Donnie's work!

I will list the names of the newspapers in the next few days. They are still signing up so it's not too late to get in on the game. "How much does it cost?" you ask. Nothing! It's completely free!!! So call your newspaper today and ask if they have signed up for the new story!

It's Friday afternoon and our family is going for a walk. I better grab my tennis shoes and water bottle and join them! Have a great weekend and Work and Dream like a BIG DOG!

WOODY

Home from New Hampshire

Kentucky Greetings, WoodyWatchers! Will we ever get caught up? That's the million dollar question here at our doghouse! Our family had an unbelievable time on our Mission Trip to Salem, New Hampshire! We met hundreds of new friends, learned about different states, got to see incredible sights, ate delicious seafood, heard people talk and bark with accents, and most importantly, we were able to tell hundreds of kids about how Jesus loves them! It's tough to put 10 days and 2400 miles into words. So, since everyone says a picture is worth a thousand words, we thought we would try that.

The first picture is of Mom and me standing at the coast of Lake Erie. Notice Mom has a jacket on. It was cold. Even though it was June at the time, we were chilly dogs! The next group of pictures show one class learning Bible stories. We taught the students about the birth of Jesus, about David and Goliath, about how Jesus is a friend that sticks closer than a brother, and about how God loves us and we can always call on Him for help.

The last picture is of Mom and me on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean at Kennebunkport, Maine. It was so wonderful to see so many different states, but it was equally as wonderful to come back home to our favorite state of Kentucky.

A great big thanks to our "Nana Diane" and "Cousin Gussie Lee" for taking care of everything here at our doghouse while we were away. As you know, our feet don't stay still for long. Our Woody Bus is heading out tomorrow for four presentations in Western KY! Gotta get the backpack ready again!

Stay cool, keep the sunscreen lathered on, and Work and Dream like a BIG DOG!

WOODY

Meet Donnie Mather

Kentucky Greetings, WoodyWatchers! It is late at our doghouse in Shepherdsville. I should be in the bed but since I had a long nap after church today, Mom and Dad said I could stay up later.

A few weeks ago, I told you how sad we were that our illustrator, Paul Brett Johnson, had passed away. We still miss talking to PBJ (that's what Chloe and I called him). Chloe and I are sure that PBJ is in heaven drawing fun pictures and making everyone happy! We were so lucky to have worked with PBJ. That man had talent!

We are very happy to announce that we have found another artist that is overflowing with talent. We want to introduce you to our brand new illustrator, Donnie Mather. Donnie Mather was born in Indiana, but was raised in Kentucky. He graduated from Elizabethtown High School. He attended Elizabethtown Community College as an art major before he joined the Air Force. After the Air Force, he received his Associates Degree in Commercial Art from Rocky Mountain School of Art in Denver. For the past 25 years, Mr.Donnie has worked as a technician for Cox Communications, while also freelancing in designs and illustrations. He married his wife Sally in 2008, has 2 step-sons and 3 grandchildren.

We asked Mr. Donnie what he liked to do for fun. He built this beautiful 1923 T-bucket car. Isn't it incredible? Can you imagine how cool I would look riding around in the T-Bucket with my blue shades? He also has a DJ business and provides music for weddings and parties. He loves country music. So do we! Chloe was listening to Loretta Lynn on her iBone today. She was singing You Ain't Woman Enough To Take My Man. My sister has the prettiest singing voice! Anyway, back to Mr. Donnie, he has a 14 year old Sheba Enu named Sammy. Mr. Donnie likes to eat Mac-and-Cheese, cheeseburgers, oranges, and grapes. When we read Mr. Donnie had a dog, liked country music and Mac-and-Cheese, we knew he was the man for the job!

We can't wait for you to see his illustrations! They are awesome, incredible, terrific, fantastic - I could go on listing adjectives all night! Anyway, you can see his illustrations the week of September 12th when our new serial story, Doghouse Divided premiers. We know you're going to love it! Who knows - we may give you a sneak peek here on our blog, so stay tuned!

Mom just said, "Woody, lights out in 5 minutes!" I better sign off, brush my teeth, and say my bedtime prayers. G'night, everyone! Sleep tight and don't let the bed bugs bite! Oh, and Work and Dream like a BIG DOG!


WOODY