I Want 100 Dogs

by Stacy McAnulty

A girl dreams of having 100 dogs — a hilarious exploration of big dreams, big responsibility, and the joy of loving animals.

Big Idea

Dreaming big is fun — but it's also important to think about what it takes to care for what you love.

Discussion Questions

1.Why does the girl want 100 dogs? Would you want that many?
2.What are some problems with having 100 dogs?
3.If you could have any pet, what would it be? How many would you want?
4.What do you think it really takes to care for a dog?
5.What would you name your dog? Why?

Lesson Plan

⏱ 40 minutes📦 Drawing paper, crayons, markers, pencils

Learning Goals

Understand exaggeration and humor in storytelling
Practice persuasive writing skills
Consider real-world responsibilities and consequences
Develop empathy and understanding of pet care

Activity Steps

1.Discuss what it would be like to have 100 dogs.
2.Students draw their dream dog on the top half of the page.
3.Students label 3 features of their dog (e.g., 'floppy ears,' 'curly tail').
4.On the bottom half, students write: 'I think our family should get a dog because ___.'
5.Students share their persuasive writing with a partner.
6.Discuss: What are the real responsibilities of having a pet?

Standards Connections

ELA: RL.K-3.2 (Central Message)
ELA: W.K-3.1 (Opinion Writing)
ELA: L.K-3.5 (Word Relationships)
SEL: Responsible Decision-Making

Pace-Write-Read Study with Pace-Write It!

Focus question: How does an author make a big dream feel funny, fast, and thoughtful at the same time? In I Want 100 Dogs by Stacy McAnulty, a girl imagines what it would be like to have not just one dog, but 100. The book uses pacing through quick ideas, playful escalation, and moments that slow down to show responsibility, helping readers feel both the excitement of the dream and the reality behind it.

Element	How to notice or teach it in the novel
Pace	Read: Notice how the story moves quickly as the girl’s dream grows bigger and bigger, then slows when readers think about feeding, walking, and caring for 100 dogs. Classroom Activity: Write 3 short sentences that speed up a character’s big dream, then 2 longer sentences that slow down to show the work that dream would require.
Plot	Read: Track how the plot begins with a wish for dogs, grows into an exaggerated plan for 100 dogs, and develops around the tension between wanting something and being responsible for it. Classroom Activity: Make a beginning-middle-end chart for a story about wanting many pets, toys, or treats, and include one problem about responsibility.
Prosody	Read: Listen to how the playful wording in I Want 100 Dogs sounds lively when read aloud, matching the girl’s excitement and the funny idea of so many dogs. Classroom Activity: Read one page aloud with expression, then write 4 lines about a big wish using a voice that sounds excited and energetic.
Word pause	Read: Notice where a reader naturally pauses to take in a surprising number, a funny image, or a new responsibility connected to caring for all those dogs. Classroom Activity: Write 3 sentences about 50 or 100 animals and mark each place a reader should pause with a slash (/).
Concept	Read: The central concept is that dreams can be wonderful, but real love for animals also means real work. Classroom Activity: Write one sentence that names a big dream and one sentence that explains the responsibility that comes with it.
Voice & World View	Read: Notice the hopeful, playful voice of the girl who truly believes 100 dogs would be amazing, even while the story invites readers to think carefully about that dream. Classroom Activity: Write in first person as a child who wants something enormous, using a cheerful voice that shows how the character sees the world.
Setting & Place	Read: Think about the spaces where 100 dogs would have to live, play, sleep, and eat, and how the book makes readers imagine those places even in a simple picture-book format. Classroom Activity: Describe a house, yard, or park that would need to change to fit 100 dogs.
Point of View	Read: The story centers the girl’s point of view, helping readers experience her dream from the inside. Classroom Activity: Rewrite a moment from the book’s idea from the point of view of one dog who is wondering what life with 99 other dogs would be like.
Original Characters	Read: The girl’s oversized dream makes her memorable, and the many imagined dogs add comic possibility and variety. Classroom Activity: Invent one of the 100 dogs by giving it a name, look, and funny habit.
Dialogue	Read: Imagine how dialogue could reveal excitement or concern when someone hears the girl wants 100 dogs. Classroom Activity: Write a 4-line conversation between the girl and an adult about why 100 dogs sounds fun and difficult.
Details	Read: Notice the concrete details connected to dogs—food, walks, barking, beds, and care—that make the dream feel real. Classroom Activity: List 5 specific details a person would need to think about before taking care of 100 dogs, then turn them into complete sentences.
Descriptions	Read: The book invites readers to picture many dogs with different sizes, sounds, and behaviors, making the dream vivid. Classroom Activity: Write a description of a room filled with dogs using what you might see, hear, and smell.
Strong First Lines	Read: The opening idea quickly grabs readers because wanting 100 dogs is surprising, bold, and funny. Classroom Activity: Write 3 possible first lines for a story about wanting too much of something, and make each one strong and attention-grabbing.
Immediacy & Engagement	Read: Readers are pulled in right away because the wish is so large and easy to react to—could anyone really handle 100 dogs? Classroom Activity: Write 2 sentences that make a reader instantly care about your character’s big dream.
Story Scenes & Summaries & Unique Structures	Read: Notice how the story can move between imagined scenes of dog-filled fun and summary-like thinking about what 100 dogs would mean every day. Classroom Activity: Write one detailed scene of playing with many dogs and one summary sentence about the daily work of caring for them.
Flashback & Flash Forward & Cliffhangers	Read: Even in a playful picture book, readers can imagine flash forward moments about what would happen if the girl really got all 100 dogs. Classroom Activity: Write a flash forward that begins, “If I really got 100 dogs tomorrow…” and end it with a question that makes readers want more.
Tension & Suspense & Surprise	Read: The tension comes from the difference between the joyful dream and the surprising responsibilities that come with it. Classroom Activity: Write 3 sentences that build suspense about whether a child is ready for a huge pet-related responsibility.
Page Turns and Chapter Breaks	Read: In a picture book like I Want 100 Dogs, page turns help deliver surprise, humor, and the next big idea. Classroom Activity: Plan a 4-page mini-book about wanting many animals and write a page-turn surprise for page 3.
Performance	Read: This story is fun to perform because a reader can use an excited voice for the girl and a thoughtful voice for the responsible parts. Classroom Activity: Practice reading one part dramatically, then write a stage direction like “say this loudly” or “pause here” beside your own sentence.
Personality	Read: The girl’s personality feels dreamy, determined, and enthusiastic, which shapes the pacing of the whole story. Classroom Activity: Write a character sketch of a child whose personality makes them want something huge and unusual.
Humor	Read: Much of the humor comes from the absurd image of 100 dogs and from the mismatch between a fun fantasy and the chaos it could create. Classroom Activity: Write a funny sentence describing one silly problem 100 dogs might cause in a kitchen, classroom, or car.
Pause	Read: Some moments invite a pause so readers can think, “Wait—how would anyone care for 100 dogs?” Classroom Activity: Write a short paragraph about a big dream and include one dash or ellipsis to create a thoughtful pause.
Poetry and Poetic Devices	Read: The book’s playful energy can inspire sound devices and imaginative language about dogs and dreams. Classroom Activity: Write 4 lines about 100 dogs using alliteration, such as “bouncy, barking, busy dogs.”
Repetition	Read: Repeated ideas about wanting dogs help emphasize the girl’s determination and keep the pacing energetic. Classroom Activity: Write a short piece that repeats the phrase “I want…” three times to show a character’s strong wish.
Rhythm	Read: The rhythm of the language can feel bouncy, matching the motion and excitement of many dogs. Classroom Activity: Write 3 sentences with a playful rhythm by using similar sentence patterns about what dogs do all day.
Punctuation	Read: Notice how punctuation such as exclamation marks or commas can help show excitement, lists, and quick thinking in a story like this. Classroom Activity: Write a sentence listing at least 5 dog-care jobs and use punctuation correctly to keep it clear.
Questions	Read: The story naturally makes readers ask questions: Where would 100 dogs sleep? Who would feed them? Could one child really manage them? Classroom Activity: Write 4 questions a reader might ask about having 100 dogs, then answer one of them in a complete sentence.
Compare-Contrast	Read: Compare the fun of having many dogs with the hard work of taking care of them, and contrast dreaming with reality. Classroom Activity: Make a T-chart labeled “Fun” and “Responsibility” and add 3 ideas to each side before writing a comparing sentence.
Objects	Read: Dog bowls, leashes, beds, toys, brushes, and food become important objects because they help readers picture the scale of caring for 100 dogs. Classroom Activity: Choose 3 dog-care objects and write how each one would be used if a child had 100 dogs.
Threes	Read: Grouping ideas in threes can help readers organize the giant dog dream into manageable, memorable parts. Classroom Activity: Write 3 things the girl would love about 100 dogs, 3 problems she might face, and 3 ways she could help.
Whitespace & Negative Space	Read: In a picture book, open space on the page can give readers a moment to breathe or notice one big idea before the next funny image arrives. Classroom Activity: Create a page layout for one sentence about 100 dogs, leaving blank space around the most important words.
Art & Graphics	Read: The illustrations help carry pacing by showing the scale, silliness, and charm of the girl’s dream in ways words alone cannot. Classroom Activity: Draw and label a scene with many dogs, then write 2 captions that add to the humor or responsibility theme.
Interactives & Gamification	Read: This book invites playful counting, imagining, and noticing details about many different dogs. Classroom Activity: Make a “100 Dogs Challenge” page where classmates count, list, or invent 10 types of dogs the girl might want, then write one sentence explaining which dog would be easiest or hardest to care for.

Pace-Write It!

20-Minute Classroom Flow\nRead (5 min): Read I Want 100 Dogs by Stacy McAnulty aloud, pausing to let students react to the girl’s big dream and the growing idea of caring for so many dogs. Ask students to listen for parts that feel fast and funny and parts that make them stop and think.\nNotice (5 min): Revisit 2-3 pages. Discuss: How does the story speed up when the girl imagines 100 dogs? How does it slow down when we think about responsibility? Chart student ideas under “Fast Dreaming” and “Slow Thinking.”\nWrite (7 min): Students write their own big-dream paragraph modeled on the book. Writing frame: “I want _____! It would be _____, _____, and _____. But I would also have to _____. If I had _____, I would need to remember _____.” Encourage students to include one exciting sentence and one responsible sentence to show pacing.\nShare (3 min): Partners read their writing aloud and point out where their piece speeds up and where it slows down. Invite 1-2 volunteers to share with the class.\nExit ticket: Write one sentence answering: How did Stacy McAnulty make a big dream feel both exciting and realistic in I Want 100 Dogs?

Classroom Activities

100 Dogs Dream Drawing

Students draw and label their dream dog, then write a persuasive paragraph explaining to their family why they should get 100 dogs.

100 Dogs Dream Drawing

Students draw and label their dream dog, then write a persuasive paragraph explaining to their family why they should get 100 dogs.

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