1. “Two Days in May” by Harriet Peck Taylor
Theme 2 – City Wildlife

2. Genre: Realistic Fiction
A realistic story is about realistic (could happen in real life, but they aren’t real) people, things, and events.
The plot-including events, problem, solution-is made up (fictional).
This story is based on a real incident.

3. Summary
Sonia and her father, together with a group of their neighbors, launch a peaceful protest to help five deer that have wandered into the city in search of food.

4. Background Information
Deer are wild animals that eat grasses and berries to survive. As more and more buildings and roads are being built, the deer have fewer places to live and find food.

5. Key Concept
protecting animals

6. Key Vocabulary
does
bucks
territory
relocates
organization
population

7. does
female deer

8. bucks
male deer

9. an area belonging to a group
territory
an area belonging to a group

10. moves to a different place
relocates
moves to a different place

11. a group; association; society
organization
a group; association; society

12. The total number of inhabitants of a given area
population
The total number of inhabitants of a given area

13. Asking Questions
You will use this strategy while you are reading to help you focus your attention on what you are reading.
This strategy will engage you in deeper understanding of:
themes
concepts
ideas

14. Strategy Focus: Asking Questions
Let’s try it!
Strategy Focus: Asking Questions
Read pages Who are the main characters so far?
~or~
Why is Papa taking charge of this problem?

15. Comprehension Skill Focus: Cause and Effect
When you identify cause and effect you decide what causes events to happen or what causes characters to behave in certain ways, which helps readers put together logical explanations in the text.
The effects are what happened and the causes explain why it happened.
Writers use clue words, called casual indicators to establish their relationships:
- because - therefore - since - so

16. Graphic Organizer Problem: The deer are in the city.
Fill in the organizer with details from the story.
Problem: The deer are in the city.
Do you agree with how the characters solve the problem?
Yes, when…. No, when...
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17. Meet the Author
Harriet Peck Taylor is both a writer and an artist. Her special interests
are animals and Native American folklore. As a result, her children's
books are often Native American folktales about animals.
Since college, Harriet Peck Taylor has been an artist. Her batik artwork
is shown in galleries as well as in public locations. She has done the art
for greeting cards, T-shirts, wallpaper, fabrics, and CD covers.
This author/illustrator loves the outdoors. On hikes in the foothills of
the Rocky Mountains, her two dogs often walk with her. For a while, a
young coyote would follow them on their walks. It would sometimes stop to
howl, and Harriet Peck Taylor began to howl back. Their "chats" went on
for several months. Once, the coyote even got near enough to touch noses
with the dogs!
Tracking animals is one of Harriet Peck Taylor's hobbies. She never
bothers the animals, but watches them simply for the joy it brings her.
She tracks bears in summer and fall, and mountain lions and other animals
in winter. "The snow always has a story to tell," she says. (from