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Book title: |
Sunny and Wondrous, Cat Cousins |
Authors: |
Mary Hochenauer and Lois Suji Hochenauer-Fox |
Reading Level: | 1.6 - 2.7 |
Describe the Setting and Mood
- Thanksgiving Day; crisp autumn (fall) day
- Ella’s family home in the country
- Family gathering; everyone’s happy and excited
- Girl cousins excited for their cats to meet
- One cat (Wondrous) warm and cozy in the house; dining table full of yummy food
- Other cat (Sunny) alone and cold in garage with rakes, shovels, and mud-caked shoes
Describe the Characters
- Claire
- She’s about 9-10 years old.
- Sunny is her cat.
- She loves her cousin Ella.
- She’s excited for their cats to meet and become best friends.
- She has blond hair.
- She’s nice to her cat, though she puts a soccer shirt on him.
- She thinks Sunny is smart and handsome.
- She likes to help the family (like mashing potatoes).
- Ella
- She’s about9-10 years old.
- Wondrous is her cat.
- She loves her cousin Claire.
- She’s excited for their cats to meet and become best friends.
- She has dark, short hair.
- She’s nice to her cat, though she tries to brush her teeth!
- She thinks Wondrous is the sweetest kitty in the world.
- Sunny
- Claire’s male cat
- Is brown and white
- Is shy; wants to be in the house with everyone; likes to chase seagulls for play
- Is grateful for Wondrous when she’s nice to him
- Runs for his freedom instead of receiving Wondrous’ gifts in the garage
- Is willing to say he, too, was afraid she wouldn’t like him; says he’s sorry for running away from her
- Wondrous
- Ella’s female cat
- Is gray tabby with some stripes
- Is selfish; doesn’t want to share her toys, especially her gnatcatcher (small bird)
- Hears Ella say how sweet she is; then decides to share turkey, whipped cream and a blanket with Sunny
- Figures it’s best to choose love over fear, and tells Sunny about that idea
- Tells Sunny she was afraid he wouldn’t like her; says she’s sorry for being selfish; offers to be friends
Describe the Conflicts
Struggles or decisions the character is facing (Conflicts are usually: Character vs. Character, Character vs. Self, Character vs. Nature, or Character vs. Society)
- The cats don’t want to meet, but are forced to by the girl cousins. Character vs. Society
- Sunny doesn’t want to meet Wondrous, but he also doesn’t want to stay in the garage. Character vs. Self
- Wondrous doesn’t want to share her toys, but she feels selfish and greedy. Character vs. Self
- They each chase and claw and fight each other. Character vs. Character
- Sunny wants to be in the house, but also wants to receive Wondrous’ gifts. Character vs. Self
- They each feel angry and upset, but during their time-out, they want to give each other a chance. Character vs. Self
Describe the Resolutions (Resolving of each conflict)
Cats take time apart. Each thinks about the other and that they are probably nice cats! They come together, say they were afraid of not being liked by the other; say they’re sorry; ask to be friends. They play and talk about how other cats (and people) can do this very same thing!
Describe the Theme (Message)
The theme or message of the story is that we can become friends with others, and let go of our fears, judgments and worries when we:
- take time to think about our situation
- think of the other as not so different from ourselves
- tell the truth about our fears and feelings
- apologize for our misdeeds
- offer something (like sharing toys, or suggesting friendship).
Click here for this lesson plan in a Word document.
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