Mercy Watson to the Rescue
Mercy Watson to the Rescue Summary
The series follows Mercy Watson, a pig who gets into various high jinks, most of which involve food and her efforts to stay out of trouble.
Mercy enjoys hot buttered toast and cuddles in bed with her owners, Mr. and Mrs. Watson.
One night Mercy decides to sneak into Mr. and Mrs. Watson’s room and climb into bed with them. Mercy’s weight, on the other hand, has the bed threatening to fall through the floor. Mercy leaps out of bed. The Watsons believe she is getting aid, but she has actually gone next door to the Lincoln sisters’ house in search of a snack.
Fortunately, Mercy’s hilarious snack adventure sets in motion a chain of events that culminates in the timely arrival of the town firemen, who come to the rescue! And don’t worry. Mercy received her snack of buttered toast after all.
The book itself is a cross between a picture book and an early chapter book, making it both a great read-aloud and a great book for children.
Mercy Watson to the Rescue Reading Level
The Mercy Watson series is a great choice for kids who are beginning to read on their own. The books are short and have easy-to-follow plots. The characters are also likable and relatable, which helps young readers connect with the stories.
The book reading age is listed for grades 1-4, with customers of the book claiming that the book is appropriate for children 4 – 8 years old.
Mercy Watson to the Rescue Characters
Mercy Watson is the main character of the Mercy Watson book series. She is a plump, lovable pig who enjoys hot buttered toast and frequently causes mischief. Mr. and Mrs. Watson adore her and do everything they can to keep her out of trouble.
The main characters in the series include:
- Mercy Watson (the main character who happens to be a pig)
- Mrs. Watson (owner)
- Mr. Watson (owner)
- The Lincoln sisters (Eugene Lincoln is the older sister while Baby is the younger sister)
- Ned and Lorenzo (firemen)
About Kate DiCamillo
Kate DiCamillo is a three-time Newbery Medal winner (2001, 2004, 2014), the Anne V. Zarrow Award for Young Readers’ Literature (2000), and Indies Choice Book Award for Children’s Literature in 2001.
Kate was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on March 25, 1964, but was raised in central Florida in the mid-’70s and now resides in Minneapolis. She has one brother, Curt DiCamillo. Kate’s mother, Betty DiCamillo, passed away in 2009, while her father, Adolph Louis DiCamillo, passed way more recently in November 2019 at the age of 91.
Kate DiCamillo’s award-winning books, Because of Winn-Dixie and The Tale of Despereaux, have both been adapted into films. You may be able to find these on DVDs or at your local library.
There was talk of making a film based on The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, but no release date has been set. The novel was later adapted into an opera titled Edward Tulane.
The Magic of Reading Aloud
In this short 3:06 video, Kate DiCamillo tells an inspiring short story about being in class and learning a valuable lesson about the magic of reading aloud.
Author Kate DiCamillo On Getting 473 Rejection Letters
While we’d all love for life to be handed to us on a silver spoon, Kate shares a story with a group of kids that she did not find success right away but she used the rejection she received as motivation to press on, eventually leading to her success as a best-selling author of children’s books.
Kate DiCamillo Books
Katrina Elizabeth DiCamillo, born March 25, 1964, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is an award-winning children’s book author with over 32 books to her credit and counting.
- Mercy Watson to the Rescue
- Mercy Watson Thinks Like a Pig
- Mercy Watson Fights Crime
- Mercy Watson: Princess in Disguise
- A Very Mercy Christmas
- Mercy Watson: Something Wonky This Way Comes
- Mercy Watson Goes for a Ride
- Because of Winn-Dixie
- The Tiger Rising
- The Tale of Despereaux
- The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane
- Flora & Ulysses The Illuminated Adventures
- The Magicians Elephant
- A Piglet Named Mercy
- Louisiana’s Way Home
- Raymie Nightingale
- Beverly Right Here
- The Essential Kate DiCamillo Collection
- Bink and Gollie
- Bink and Gollie, Best Friends Forever
- Bink and Gollie Two for One
- Raymie Nightingale
- The Tiger Rising
- Louisiana
- Leroy Ninker Saddles Up
- Francine Poulet Meets the Ghost Raccoon
- Where Are You Going Baby Lincoln
- Eugenia Lincoln and the Unexpected Package
- Stella Endicott and the Anything-Is-Possible Poem
- Franklin Endicott and the Third Key
- 3 Adventures on Deckawoo Drive
- Two for One
Chris Van Dusen Books
Chris Van Dusen is the illustrator for Kate DiCamillo’s Mercy Watson to the Rescue book but he also has a large selection of books he’s written as well. You can visit Chris Van Dusen’s website here https://www.chrisvandusen.com/ for a full list of the books he’s written and illustrated.
Below is a very well-done video that’s a part of L.L. Bean’s Virtual Lecture Series, where Chris Van Dusen goes a bit into how he got started, shows viewers his studio, and describes what a typical day is like for him as an illustrator of children’s books. In the video, he mentions his illustrating the “Where to Buy Mercy Watson to the Rescue” book and working with Kate DiCamillo.
Where to Buy Mercy Watson to the Rescue
Mercy Watson to the Rescue is available on Amazon for Kindle, audiobook, hardcover, and paperback. This link below leads to the paperback edition but all options are available on the landing page.
| Amaon.com (Paperback) | Mercy Watson to the Rescue Paperback – Illustrated, December 22, 2009 |
| Authors Amazon BIO Page | Purchase More Kate DiCamillo Books on Amazon |
Book Details
Publisher: Candlewick; Illustrated edition (December 22, 2009)
Language: English
Paperback: 80 pages
ISBN-10: 0763645044
ISBN-13: 978-0763645045
Reading age: 4 – 8 years, from customers
Lexile measure: 450L
Grade level: 1 – 4
Item Weight: 8.2 ounces
Dimensions: 6.44 x 0.29 x 8.25 inches
Mercy Watson to the Rescue Reviews
At the time of this writing, there were over 2.5K consumer reviews on Amazon, with a star rating of 4.8 out of 5. 87% of reviewers gave the book a 5-star rating. Below are a couple of the top reviews of the book.
Reviewed in the United States on October 15, 2022, on Amazon.com
– By delightfully fun
This book is a delightfully fun read! Children and adults alike will enjoy curling up to share this fun story. We can’t wait to read more books about Mercy, the Porcine Wonder!
Reviewed in the United States on December 12, 2020, on Amazon.com
– By Gail Christian
OK. Mercy, the pig is afraid to sleep in her own bed in her own room. Guess no one ever told her she SHOULD be sleeping alone outside. However, I think she might have preferred that unless there was no moon. You see, Mercy wasn’t afraid of being alone. She was afraid of the dark. Her Momma and Poppa should have bought a nightlife and avoided what happened in the middle of the night.
You’ll have to read the story to discover why the fire department was called and what they did to actually be of help. Of course, THEY weren’t the ones that were deemed, heroes. No, that would have been Mercy, and she was the reason there was trouble in the neighborhood.
Cute story. Cute pig. Nutty couple. Wild chase. Great illustrations. Yep, I’d say kids will love it!
Reviewed in the United States on July 1, 2020, on Amazon.com
– B Katie
We’ve had this book for 3 days and have read it too many times to count! My 5, 4, and 2-year-old love it and even our 9-month-old can enjoy the pictures so it’s a definite winner to entertain a wide age range! My 4-year-old cracks up at the humor in it and my 5-year-old has expanded his vocabulary a bit (he loves words!) and the 2-year-old loves hearing the different accents I give to the characters. We’ll probably invest in the rest of the series at some point but we’ll enjoy this one for a while first. Personally, I think an 8-year-old would be a little bored with it but maybe it’s because we do a lot of reading so I feel like our kids will outgrow this at a younger age but time will tell.
Mercy Watson to the Rescue Read Aloud
Below is a great video of the Mercy Watson read-aloud by the narrator of Mrs. Tempel’s Storytime YouTube channel showcasing the actual pages and illustrations of the book.
Book FAQs
Mercy Watson to the Rescue, How Many Chapters?
There are 12 chapters in the endearing world of Mercy Watson to the Rescue picture book.
How Many Pages in Mercy Watson to the Rescue?
There are 69 pages in the Mercy Watson to the Rescue kids book, including the last page, which is an illustration of Mercy Watson (the pet pig and main character) and Mercy’s owners, Mr. and Mrs. Watson.
What Reading Level is Mercy Watson to the Rescue?
The reading level for Mercy Watson to the Rescue is 4 to 8 years old, grades 1 to 4.
