1. Some Cat ! Written by Mary Casanova Illustrated by Ard Hoyt Published by Farrar Straus Giroux This book is about Violet, a thin little cat who is at the animal shelter. Violet thinks she is “queenly.” The problem is; every time someone comes to look at her, Violet royally hisses. The perspective owners always walk away saying, “That’s some cat,” and choose a kitten to Violet’s dismay. One day a man and woman stop by the shelter. They are not fooled by Violet’s antics and decide to take her home. This is the same animal loving couple that adopted Zippity in Mary Casanova’s previous book Some Dog! (Farrar, 2007) Violet quickly shows George and Zippity who is in charge. Then when three stray dogs invade Violet's kingdom, she runs for her life. It is George and Zippity who come to her rescue. This is a fun read aloud with all of its "Meowwws," "Ya-yippitys," and "Wa-roo-roo-roo-roos.“ It is sure to spark discussions about shelter animals and pets.

2. Compare and contrast Zippity and George to the stray dogs (RL.1.9, RL. 2.9, RL.3.9) Stray Dogs Zippity and George

3. How Did Violet change in the story? (RL.1.3, RL. 1.7, RL.2.3) Violet before the stray dogs chased her Violet after the stray dogs chased her

4. Circle the nouns and underline the verbs in each sentence. (L1.1) Violet sat in a cage. Violet growled and yowled. Zippity ran in circles. George flopped down. Violet stretched out in the sun. Violet raced for the nearest tree. The stray dogs blocked her path. The strange dogs barked and pawed. The woodpile tumbled.

5. Circle the common nouns and underline the proper nouns in each sentence. (L1.1) Violet sat in a cage. A man and a woman stopped by. Violet swiped at the dogs with her sharp royal claws. Zippity played with his favorite toy. George tried to rest. George and Zippity went fishing. George and Zippity arched their doggy fur. The stray dogs fled, tails down.

6. Circle the adjectives and underline the adverbs in each sentence. (L2.1) Violet arched her royal fur. Finally, Violet lay down. Violet quickly raced for the woodpile. She had sharp claws and velvet paws. She stretched out in the sun for a good, long nap. Violet swiped at the dogs with her sharp royal claws. To Violet’s dismay, they never chose her. The stray dogs viciously blocked her path. Violet contentedly surveyed her kingdom.

7. Add the correct punctuation to each of the sentences. (L.1.2) She arched her royal fur Would Violet work out with the new family Violet woke with a start Who were these strange dogs The dogs didn’t back away Violet ran for the nearest tree When did she last have a home

8. Add the apostrophes where needed in each sentence. (L.2.2) Shed once had a home. “Thats some cat,” people would say. “Lets give her a chance,” said the man. “Think shell work out?” asked the man. “Shed better,” answered the woman. But the dogs didnt back away. “Thats some cat,” the woman said. And most nights, Violet didnt mind sharing. She couldnt resist swiping at the dogs.

9. Add the quotation marks where needed in each sentence. (L.3.2) That’s some cat, people would say. Let’s give her a chance, said the man. She needs a home, said the woman. Wa-rooo! George said Think she’ll work out? asked the woman. Hey! Get away from that cat! Violet shivered. Meow. Amazing, said the man. Our cat, said the man.

10. I Can Statements (RL.1.1, RL.2.1, RL.3.1) I can tell who was in the story ______________________________ _______________________________________________________ I can tell where the story took place _________________________ _______________________________________________________ I can tell how the characters feel in the story __________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ I can tell you what happened in the beginning, middle and end of the story ___________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________

11. Write a friendly/persuasive letter to your parents asking for a pet. (W.1.1, W.2.1)

12. Complete the following writing prompt: What could Violet have done differently while at the shelter in order to get adopted? (RL.1.2, RL.2, W.1)

13. There are several examples of onomatopoeia (words that imitate the meaning of the sounds they represent e.g. slurp ) in this story. List some examples from the story. List some others you can think of. (L.2.4) words from the story words you thought of

14. Graph your favorite Pet (1.MD.C.4, 2.MD.D.10, 3.MD.B.3)

15. Complete the following math problems. (1.OA.A.1, 1.OA.A.2, 2.OA.A.a, 2.OA.B.2) When Violet was adopted there were already some dogs living in the house. How many dogs were living in the house? One afternoon, Violet was awoken by some stray dogs in the yard. How many stray dogs came in the yard? How many total dogs were there in this story? How many pets do the man and woman now have, after adopting Violet?

16. Other Books by Mary Casanova

17. Other books illustrated by Ard Hoyt