Tag Archives: cat fiction

Cat Sees Snow

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written by Laura Gehl and illustrated by Fred Blunt

Cat, Dog and Pig approach the snow in a variety of ways and all enjoy the cold, white stuff by the end. This bright and cheery story is perfect for the brand new reader. The repeated text and short length (less than 100 words), makes this book very accessible for young students. The colorful line drawn illustrations complement the story and move it along. The notes to parents/guardians at the beginning of the book are quite helpful. This is a solid choice for new readers, who will cheer on the characters and cheer for themselves after reading a book!

What If I’m Not a Cat?

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written by Kari-Lynn Winters and illustrated by Kelly Collier

Donkey is a cat – or so he thinks. He acts like a cat. He cuddles the other kitties in the barn, he pounces and he perches. But, sometimes things don’t feel quite right. He doesn’t like cat food and climbing? That’s hard. One day, the farmer said something that made him question himself. She said “Donkey, you’re acting like a cat.” What? Is this true? He and his kitty friends start to wonder. Sadly, Donkey walks away to sleep under a tree by himself. Suddenly, he heard a kitten meow in distress and ran to the rescue, kicking at a fox and saving the day. Upon his return to the barn with the kitten, the other cats cheerfully welcome him back, whatever he is. He decides that he is happy with who he is – a don-kitty!

This book tells a story of friendship and being who you are. Speech bubbles and cartoon-like illustrations help us grasp the personalities of the characters. The story is humorous, sweet and a great kick off to everything from lessons on animal traits to self-acceptance. Given its many possibilities, this is a great book for your library. Highly recommended.

Cat Has a Plan by Laura Gehl and illustrated by Fred Blunt

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Cat and Dog each have plans and they involve a stuffed dinosaur and each other. There is some jealousy at play here as Cat and Dog take turns stealing a well-loved stuffed dinosaur from each other. Masks, traps, nets and sacks are used as they go back in forth in ownership of the dino. Finally, a plan goes awry and the poor stuffed dinosaur falls into Mouse’s hole. Mouse is thrilled with his new toy. Cat and dog are sad for a while, but quickly hatch a plan to work together. They realize that they can both act and with their masks, they stage a play to earn money to each buy a new stuffed dinosaur. Now, everyone (Mouse, Cat and Dog) are happy!

This Ready-to-Read early reader has about 100 words and those words are listed at the beginning of the book along with a note to adults and encouragement for the reader. At the end of the story, there are some simple questions to enhance learning, if necessary. Illustrations are bright and exuberant. This cute little book will start young students on their way to a future as readers. Recommended.

Cleo and Cornelius : a tale of two cities and two kitties

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Cleo and Cornelius are living the high life in ancient Egypt, where cats are treated like gods and their days are filled with lounging, eating, napping and being worshiped. One day, Cornelius accidentally boards a boat for Rome, which is a very different place than his home. Here, dogs are revered and cats are supposed to keep mice out of houses. But, there is adventure, as he and Cleo discover when she comes to Rome to find him. They race chariots, dip their paws in a Roman bath, perform in a theater and so many other activities. Exhausted, they hop a ship back to Egypt and their luxurious lives of eating, napping and being worshiped, which is fine with Cornelius. Cleo, on the other hand, grows bored and the heads back to her adventurous life in Rome.

This story is loosely based on Aesop’s “Town Mouse and Country Mouse” fable and is full of richly illustrated scenes of the ancient worlds of Egypt and Italy…and Cleo and Cornelius! There are two pages of notes for the reader, explaining life in those two societies. Photos of artifacts are included. This is a fun romp of a story and we learn some things along the way.