Second Reaction: Through the Eyes of a Cat

First Opinions, Second Reactions, Oct 2014

By Kelly Curtis, Published on 10/10/14

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Second Reaction: Through the Eyes of a Cat

Second Reaction: Through the Eyes of a Cat Mader - Lost Cat, written by C. Roger Mader, is a welcome addition to my collection of read-aloud books for my first grade students. We began the year with a multitude of books with cats as the main characters, and this book was a perfect fit. Lost Cat is the story of Slipper, a cat who is forgotten on moving day. Slipper, whose name comes from the place where she loves to lie, begins to look for someone new to adopt. The story takes us through many twists and turns until finally, Slipper finds her new home, which just so happens to be right back with the woman she loves. One of the best things about this book is that the beautiful illustrations are all from Slipper’s point of view. You only see the feet of the people she encounters on her way to look for a new home. The author uses several very clever names such as Ms. Muddy Boots, Mr. Cowboy Boots, High Tops, Mr. Big Boots, and Miss Shiny Shoes to identify the characters in the story. Of course, there is also Mrs. Fluffy Slippers who is so near and dear to Slipper’s heart. As a first grade teacher, I am given the task to teach point of view to my students. This is not always an easy task with first graders since many struggle with the concept. C. Roger Mader, the author of this book, does an excellent job of helping young readers see that he Through the Eyes of a Cat chose to tell the story from the point of view of the main character, the cat. My students had no trouble understanding that the cat was telling this story. They instantly recognized that, since Slipper is small, the feet of the other characters would be at her eye level. As I read the story, I observed many of my students instantly noticing this. When I asked students what they liked about the book, many immediately responded that they were happy that Slipper had found her family. They liked how she was no longer alone and was happy. I found out that many of my students have cats at home, so they made the connection to Slipper’s predicament when she was left behind and lost. I think they all could relate to the lonely feeling of being lost and understood how the little cat would feel after being separated from her family. Many suggested that they were so glad that Slipper was reunited with Mrs. Fluffy Slippers by the story’s end. I don’t think that I would have wanted to share this book if the ending were different. I will definitely add Lost Cat to my list of cat-related books for the beginning of the years to come. It was enjoyable to me to be able to read this book with students. The illustrations are beautiful and so well done. I asked my students if they thought they would like to read more books by C. Roger Mader and the answer was an enthusiastic “Yes!” About the Author Kelly Curtis has been a first grade teacher for 17 years and is presently teaching at James Cole Elementary in Tippecanoe County. She thoroughly enjoys reading to her students. She is married and has two married daughters and a brand-new granddaughter. (...truncated)


This is a preview of a remote PDF: https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1448&context=fosr

Kelly Curtis. Second Reaction: Through the Eyes of a Cat, First Opinions, Second Reactions, 2014, Volume 7, Issue 2,