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.
Compare and contrast Zippity and George to the stray dogs
(RL.1.9, RL. 2.9, RL.3.9)
Zippity and George
Stray Dogs
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
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.
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.
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.
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
.
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.
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.
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 ___________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
Write a friendly/persuasive letter to your parents
asking for a pet.
(W.1.1, W.2.1)
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)
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
Graph your favorite Pet
(1.MD.C.4, 2.MD.D.10, 3.MD.B.3)
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
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?
Other Books by Mary Casanova
Other books illustrated by Ard Hoyt