Story Hike at Dewey Short Trail

What a beautiful day for a hike by the lake. Today's story hike was at the Dewey Short Trail by Table Rock Lake. I brought my "sister" Nibmus (Mrs. Matzat's black lab) to the hike today. She loved licking all of the kids. We had fun making water bottle holders and making our own trail mix to snack on while we hiked the trail. Even though it was hot today, most of the trail was shaded and we had a nice breeze.

Our story today was Hally Tosis by Dav Pilkey. I liked hearing how Hally's dog breath ended up saving her family from the robbers. We dogs are pretty self-conscious about our dog breath, so it was fun to hear a story where bad breath saved the day! What was your favorite part of the story? If you would like to write to me to tell me what you thought about our hike and story today, just click below this post where it says "comments" and you can send me a message. Be sure to do this with your parents!

Mrs. Matzat said she will post pictures from today's hike later today, so be sure to check back later. I hope to see all of you at our final summer celebration on August 19th at the Branson Elementary Library. We will have hot dogs and ice cream, make crafts, and share another great dog story. You can also come take AR tests on all of the great books you have read this summer to get a head start for the school year.

See you soon!

Toby the Library Dog

Photos from Lakeside Wilderness Hike on July 15

Thanks to Brenda Polke, we have some pictures from our second story hike! My owner, Mrs. Matzat, forgot to bring her camera that day, and she was so sad. Luckily, Mrs. Polke saved the day and shared her photos with us. I hope you enjoy them. I'm looking forward to our next hike on August 5th at the Dewey Short Trail. It will be fun to hike by the lake.

Check out the pictures at http://www.thematzats.com/images/tobywildernesstrail/.

Story Hike at Lakeside Wilderness Trail

Today was my second story hike and boy, was it hot today! Luckily, the trail was well-shaded and we had a nice breeze, so the hike was still very fun. Several Branson school kids joined me on this hike. I was so excited to see them today. I was afraid the heat might scare them away. But, they have brave families that love to spend time together, especially when it involves sharing a great book.

My owner, Mrs. Matzat, read one of my favorite stories, Walter's Tail, by Lisa Campbell Ernst. I sure can relate to Walter. My tail never stops wagging, just like Walter, and it has even gotten me in trouble a couple of times. What was your favorite part of the story?

Be sure you write me and tell me what you thought about our hike today tell me what you thought about the story. Just click below this post where it says "comments" and you can write to me. Be sure to do this with your parents!

As soon as I receive some pictures, I will add them to this post. I hope you all had as much fun as I did today, and I will see you on our next hike on August 5 at the Dewey Short Trail. We will make water bottle holders, read another great story, and hopefully share a yummy snack. See you soon and keep reading!

Toby the Library Dog

Story Hike at Henning Conservation Area

Today was my first story hike, and boy, was it fun! Lots of kids and their families came to hike with me. I loved getting petted by all of the kids. My owner, Mrs. Matzat, had lots of activities for the students and their parents to do together. They made their own waggers, decorated backpacks, and got to hear a great story called Waggers . Then, we hiked the Dewey Bald Trail together. What a fun day to spend with so many families.

Kids, what did you think about the story Waggers? What was your favorite part of the story? If you had a wagger, what would it look like?

While we were making crafts, a really interesting bird ran right by us. Here is a picture of it.
Read this article to learn about this interesting bird. I love to chase birds, so I was pretty excited to see this bird show up at our hike. What is your favorite bird? I like quails. They are fun to chase in my yard at home. What do you think this bird has in its mouth? What do you think it will do with it?

I can't wait to hear from some students to see what you thought about our hike today and to hear what you thought about the story. Just click below this post where it says "comments" and you can write to me. Be sure to do this with your parents!

Mrs. Matzat posted some pictures of the hike today. Be sure to check them out. You can see them at http://www.thematzats.com/images/tobyhenningtrail.

Our next story hike will be on Saturday, July 15 at the Lakeside Wilderness Trail. It will start at 10:00 a.m. We will be reading Walter's Tail and making hiking hats. I hope to see you there!

Toby the Library Dog

Welcome to my web log!

Hello Everyone! I'm Toby the Library the Dog, and this is my web log. I'm glad that you decided to join me this summer for Tales and Trails with Toby. I'm so excited that our first hike is coming up on Saturday. I hope that lots of students will join me as we hike the Dewey Bald Trail at the Ruth and Paul Henning Conservation Area.

Throughout the summer, I will be be posting thoughts and questions about each of our story hikes. I hope you will write back and let me know what you think.

I thought I would take a minute and tell you a little bit about myself. My owner, Mrs. Matzat, is the library media specialist at Branson Elementary School. She loves kids, reading, hiking, and dogs, so she thought it would be fun to share these things with her students and their families. Mrs. Matzat found me about 4 years ago when she was on a float trip in Arkansas. I was just about 3 months old, and I was lost in the woods. I was covered in fleas and ticks, and it had been a long time since I had eaten any food. When I saw Mrs. Matzat's truck coming through woods with a very cute black lab hanging her head out of the back window, I knew I was in luck. Mrs. Matzat stopped the truck, looked me over, and the rest is history. She took me home with her family, cleaned me up, and gave me some food! I was so happy to have a new family, including a new sister dog named Nimbus.

Here is a picture of what I looked like when I first came home with the Matzat family. I'm so glad that I have a good home now.

Be sure to check back frequently to hear what I am up to and to share your thoughts and ideas with me about our story hikes.

See you on the trail, where we'll hear a great tale!

Toby the Library Dog