Rocket Writes a Story, written and illustrated by Tad Hills. Schwartz & Wade, Random House. 2012. $19.99 ages 4 and up

"Rocket always brought his words back to the classroom and wrote them down. The little yellow bird would help him spell the tricky ones, and then they'd hang them on their word tree. Sometimes the bird added her own words to the collection. "This one is small, but I promise it'll come in handy," she'd say."

We know that Rocket is a learner. Last year, he learned to read. Now, he wants to be a writer, too!

"Rocket loved words, too. After snack time his teacher would say, "Rocket, why don't you just use that nose of yours to sniff out some new words?" And off he'd go."

After he fetches his words, he brings them back, writes them down (with help from the little yellow bird) and hangs them on a word tree. Once the tree's branches are jam-packed with his collection, they must determine what to do with them. Rocket has an idea and he shares it with his many friends. Bright and early the next morning seems the perfect time to start. Writing proves a difficult task. His teacher is ever optimistic. The trick is to find the right story to tell. They talk about characters and inspiration:

"Rocket took a walk and looked for inspiration. He thought about friends he knew and places he'd been. He stuck his nose high in the air and sniffed the gentle breeze. And there it was - a delightful smell of pine needles and feathers. Inspiration!"
Is that all he needs? On his way to school the next day, he discovers a new word on the ground under the tree. The word is OWL...more inspiration! Using that word and the many others earlier collected, Rocket begins to fashion a story about Owl. He works hard, and overcomes many of the obstacles that most writers face. The little yellow bird is a constant source of encouragement, asking questions that might have relevance to the story being written. Owl is happy with the emerging tale, too.

And so, his first story is written. It is much appreciated by its main character, now a new and worthy friend to a reading, writing dog.