Download high-resolution image Look inside
Listen to a clip from the audiobook
audio play button
0:00
0:00

Rocket Writes a Story

Part of Rocket

Author Tad Hills
Illustrated by Tad Hills
Look inside
Listen to a clip from the audiobook
audio play button
0:00
0:00
Hardcover
$18.99 US
On sale Jul 24, 2012 | 40 Pages | 9780375870866

See Additional Formats
Inspire a lifelong love of reading with an irresistible dog named Rocket and his teacher, a little yellow bird in this sequel to the New York Times bestselling picture book, How Rocket Learned to Read.

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY School Library JournalPublishers Weekly

"A perfect choice to inspire new readers and writers." Kirkus Reviews, starred review


Rocket loves books and he wants to make his own, but he can't think of a story. Encouraged by the little yellow bird to look closely at the world around him for inspiration, Rocket sets out on a journey. Along the way he discovers small details that he has never noticed before, a timid baby owl who becomes his friend, and an idea for a story.

Tad Hills, the creator of the beloved Duck & Goose series delivers another heartwarming story, filled with fresh, charming art making this a favorite for story time. 

Don’t miss the animated movie based on the bestselling Rocket books--now airing on PBS!
  • WINNER | 2013
    IRA Teachers' Choices
  • WINNER | 2012
    Barnes & Noble Best Book of the Year
  • WINNER | 2012
    Amazon Best of the Year
  • NOMINEE
    Arizona Young Readers Award
  • NOMINEE | 2014
    Colorado Children's Book Award
  • FINALIST | 2012
    Kid's Indie Next List "Inspired Recommendations for Kids from Indie Booksellers"
Tad Hills is the #1 New York Times bestselling author and illustrator of the Rocket and Duck & Goose series, including the New York Times bestselling picture books How Rocket Learned to Read; Rocket Writes a Story; R Is for Rocket; Duck & Goose; Duck, Duck, Goose; Duck & Goose Go to the Beach; and Duck & Goose, Honk! Quack! Boo! He also created various board books in these series, including Rocket’s Mighty Words; Duck & Goose Find a Pumpkin; the ALA-ALSC Notable Children’s Book What’s Up, Duck?: A Book of Opposites; Duck & Goose: Here Comes the Easter Bunny!; and several Step Into Reading titles, including Drop It, Rocket! and Rocket’s 100th Day of School.
 
The Boston Globe declared Hills’s work “charming, funny, simple, and surprising” and dubbed him “a master of the light comic touch.”
 
Tad lives in Brooklyn, New York, with his wife, two children, and his real-life dog, Rocket, who has not yet learned to read.
 
Visit Tad online at tadhills.com, and follow him on Twitter at @tadhills. View titles by Tad Hills

Educator Guide for Rocket Writes a Story

Classroom-based guides appropriate for schools and colleges provide pre-reading and classroom activities, discussion questions connected to the curriculum, further reading, and resources.

(Please note: the guide displayed here is the most recently uploaded version; while unlikely, any page citation discrepancies between the guide and book is likely due to pagination differences between a book’s different formats.)

About

Inspire a lifelong love of reading with an irresistible dog named Rocket and his teacher, a little yellow bird in this sequel to the New York Times bestselling picture book, How Rocket Learned to Read.

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY School Library JournalPublishers Weekly

"A perfect choice to inspire new readers and writers." Kirkus Reviews, starred review


Rocket loves books and he wants to make his own, but he can't think of a story. Encouraged by the little yellow bird to look closely at the world around him for inspiration, Rocket sets out on a journey. Along the way he discovers small details that he has never noticed before, a timid baby owl who becomes his friend, and an idea for a story.

Tad Hills, the creator of the beloved Duck & Goose series delivers another heartwarming story, filled with fresh, charming art making this a favorite for story time. 

Don’t miss the animated movie based on the bestselling Rocket books--now airing on PBS!

Awards

  • WINNER | 2013
    IRA Teachers' Choices
  • WINNER | 2012
    Barnes & Noble Best Book of the Year
  • WINNER | 2012
    Amazon Best of the Year
  • NOMINEE
    Arizona Young Readers Award
  • NOMINEE | 2014
    Colorado Children's Book Award
  • FINALIST | 2012
    Kid's Indie Next List "Inspired Recommendations for Kids from Indie Booksellers"

Author

Tad Hills is the #1 New York Times bestselling author and illustrator of the Rocket and Duck & Goose series, including the New York Times bestselling picture books How Rocket Learned to Read; Rocket Writes a Story; R Is for Rocket; Duck & Goose; Duck, Duck, Goose; Duck & Goose Go to the Beach; and Duck & Goose, Honk! Quack! Boo! He also created various board books in these series, including Rocket’s Mighty Words; Duck & Goose Find a Pumpkin; the ALA-ALSC Notable Children’s Book What’s Up, Duck?: A Book of Opposites; Duck & Goose: Here Comes the Easter Bunny!; and several Step Into Reading titles, including Drop It, Rocket! and Rocket’s 100th Day of School.
 
The Boston Globe declared Hills’s work “charming, funny, simple, and surprising” and dubbed him “a master of the light comic touch.”
 
Tad lives in Brooklyn, New York, with his wife, two children, and his real-life dog, Rocket, who has not yet learned to read.
 
Visit Tad online at tadhills.com, and follow him on Twitter at @tadhills. View titles by Tad Hills

Guides

Educator Guide for Rocket Writes a Story

Classroom-based guides appropriate for schools and colleges provide pre-reading and classroom activities, discussion questions connected to the curriculum, further reading, and resources.

(Please note: the guide displayed here is the most recently uploaded version; while unlikely, any page citation discrepancies between the guide and book is likely due to pagination differences between a book’s different formats.)

Three Penguin Random House Authors Win Pulitzer Prizes

On Monday, May 5, three Penguin Random House authors were honored with a Pulitzer Prize. Established in 1917, the Pulitzer Prizes are the most prestigious awards in American letters. To date, PRH has 143 Pulitzer Prize winners, including William Faulkner, Eudora Welty, Josh Steinbeck, Ron Chernow, Anne Applebaum, Colson Whitehead, and many more. Take a look at our 2025 Pulitzer Prize

Read more

Books for LGBTQIA+ Pride Month

In June we celebrate Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, and Asexual + (LGBTQIA+) Pride Month, which honors the 1969 Stonewall riots in Manhattan. Pride Month is a time to both celebrate the accomplishments of those in the LGBTQ+ community and recognize the ongoing struggles faced by many across the world who wish to live

Read more