Saturday, January 22, 2011

Too Many Cats


By Lori Haskins Houran and illustrated by Joe Mathieu; 32 pages


In this Level 1 Easy Reader story, cats, adjectives, and music are the main focus. The title page preps readers for what is to come when it shows a black cat mesmerized by musical notes in the air. One by one a cast of cats are introduced and drawn to notes emanating from a cello. Illustrator Joe Mathieu does a terrific job of injecting humor into the story by giving each cat a unique and comical expression that is sure to make young readers giggle. Of course, when the cats find the source of the music, the story ends with a humorous bang.

Although the main point of the story is to introduce young children to a variety of adjectives (black, rich, silly, chilly, mean, etc.), parents can use the story as a way to bring up the fact that cello cords were often referred to as "catguts" in past eras. Even though it is debated and unknown if "cat" guts were ever used to make the strings, parents can delicately explain that animal intestines (most often sheep intestines) were used to make cords for stringed instruments. Perhaps this is why the cats are so entranced by the music?

No comments:

Post a Comment