Writing Prompts and Writing Inspiration for Kids.See other books in THE READ AND WRITE SERIES- I Want a Dog: My Opinion Essay
- I Want a Cat: My Opinion Essay
- My Crazy Dog: My Narrative Essay
- My Dirty Dog: My Informative Essay (forthcoming, 2017)
When cousins Mellie and Dennis decide to get a cat, they considercarefully what breed would be best for each family. For example, Melliewants a cat that pounces, but Dennis wants a lazy cat, like his lazydog, Clark Kent. Mellie wants a lap cat, but Dennis just wants a warmbody BESIDE him. They consider different cat personalities, familysituations, and personal preferences.
Mellie writes an opinion essay for her teacher, Mr. Eagle. But will her essay convince her parents to get the cat of her dreams?
This story takes a popular subject--kids getting a pet--and adds cats of all sizes and shapes: all writing lessons should be this much fun. Inthe end, it's the cousins and the cats that keep a reader turning thepage. What kind of cat will Mellie choose? Will Dennis want the samekind of cat?
PRAISE FROM CAT EXPERTS". . .absolutely delightful book . . .It is a charming story of the two children each going throughthe process of finding a cat who best fits their own preferences. Theplayful illustrations compliment the humorous and educational quality of the book." Joan Miller, Chair, CFA Outreach and Education, Cat Fancier'sAssociation"
This is quite simply as informative a catbook as any text out there. "-- Alexis Mitchell, Syracoon/Furensics, Maine Coon Cat Breed CouncilSecretary, Maine Coon Cat breeders of CFA ". . .a delightful book. Being both ateacher who works with dyslexic students, and a breeder of pedigreedcats, I would highly recommend this book to young writers. "-- Julie Keyer, Faculty, The Lewis School of Princeton, CFA BreedCouncil Secretary, Oriental CatsThis story hits many notes:
- A family story about cousins, Dennis and Mellie
- Information on cat breeds
- Responsible cat ownership
- Mentor-text for teaching writing
- Model opinion essay for elementary students
- Models the writing process, especially the importance of pre-writing or planning before you write
- Completes the writing process by showing the results of Mellie's essay
I WANT A CAT almost makes opinion essays look too easy.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Children's book author Darcy Pattison finds inspiration in writing about wildlife and animals; twice her books have been honored as NSTAOutstanding Science Trade Books. Her science-nature picture booksinclude:
- Abayomi, the Brazilian Puma: The True Story of an Orphaned Cub (Mims House), an NSTA 2015 Outstanding Science Trade Book;
- Wisdom, the Midway Albatross: Surviving the Japanese Tsunami and Other Disasters for Over 60 Years (Mims House), a starred review in Publisher's Weekly;
- Desert Baths(Arbordale), an NSTA Outstanding Science Trade Book 2013;
- and, Prairie Storms (Arbordale).
Other picture books include
The Journey of Oliver K. Woodman (Harcourt), which received an Irma Simonton Black and James H. Black Award forExcellence in Children's Literature Honor Book award, starred reviews in BCCB and Kirkus, and has been published in a Houghton Mifflin textbook;
Searching for Oliver K. Woodman (Harcourt);
19 Girls and Me (Philomel); and
11 Ways to Ruin a Photograph: A Military Family Story (Mims House). Her series,
The ALIEN, INC. CHAPTER BOOK SERIES includes
Kell, the Alien;
Kell and the Horse Apple Parade;
Kell and the Giants; and
Kell and the Detectives. She is also the author of middle grade novels and teaches nationally aNovel Revision Retreat. For more, see darcypattison.com/about
ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATOR
Ewa (prounounced eh-va) O'Neill loves both cats and dogs. She lives in Great Britain with her husband and twin sons. Ewa is the recipient of the 2016 Muse Medallion for Series-Illustration from the Cat Writer's Association for her illustrations of I WANT A CAT: MY OPINION ESSAY For more, see ewaoneill.com/
