Thursday, June 30, 2011

BIG CAT, Little Kitty

A lesson in cats for young cat lovers, expands children's knowledge beyond just domestic cats that they are probably most familiar with!

Cohn, Scotti.
BIG CAT, Little Kitty.
March 2011.
Sylvan Dell Publishing.
Review copy provided courtesy of publisher.


While exploring for a week, children will learn about different "cats" - both wild and domestic. Each day of the week has children learning about one domestic cat's habitat and one "big cat's" habitat. Throughout the course of the story, as days of the week are reiterated, children learn about cheetahs in the jungle, tigers in the savannahs, lions and their desert/forest/savannah habitats, the snow leopard's snowy mountain habitat, the cougars (mountain lions, panthers, pumas) in their many habitats, the jaguar's rainforest habitat, and the bobcat's wide range of habitats.

The informative nature of the book isLink sure to pique the interest of children who are cat lovers, while introducing children to different habitats around the world and the different types of cat they may or may not previously have been familiar with. The text is simple and the illustrations provide a great deal of additional detail that will easily engage children in discussion throughout the reading.

Learning/Reading Activities:
  • Sylvan Dell has provided teachers with a variety of materials on their website to use in collaboration with the book. Teaching Activities and For Creative Minds activities (also found at the back of the book) can be downloaded by clicking on the colored text.
  • For their summer journal, have children answer one of the Thinking It Through & Writing Prompts, as found on page 5 of the Teaching Activities. My personal favorite is: If you were a cat, which kind would you want to be? Why?
  • On a rainy day, have your child spend time at the library or online researching wild and domestic dogs... see if they can come up with a list of different types of both!




If you're interested in finding out more information about any of the books reviewed or if you'd like to purchase the books, click the cover image for a link to Amazon.com. I am an Amazon Affiliate, so any purchases you make after clicking these images will result in my receiving a small percentage of the sale price!

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