Chapter I: Am So Hungry

I wish some one would hurry and bring me some milk.

Mine is all gone and so is my mouse.

I wonder if this is all we are going to have to eat.

I am so hungry I shall have to go home and catch a rat.

The Queen is asking some one to tell a story. I believe she means me.

Yes, dear Queen, I will tell you a story about seven little pussy-cats who were not so polite as we are. But first may I please have a little more milk to drink?

(_My tale is coming._)

THE QUEEN’S TEA-TABLE

The Queen has had the table set,
As fine as fine can be,
And now I wish she’d send some milk
For a hungry cat like me.

SEVEN LITTLE PUSSY-CATS

Seven little pussy-cats, invited out to tea,
Cried: ‘Mother, let us go. Oh, do! for good we’ll surely be.
We’ll wear our bibs and hold our things as you have shown us how:—
Spoons in right paws, cups in left,—and make a pretty bow.
We’ll always say, “Yes, if you please,” and “Only half of that.”’
‘Then go, my darling children,’ said the happy Mother Cat.
The seven little pussy-cats went out that night to tea.
Their heads were smooth and glossy, their tails were swinging free;
They held their things as they had learned, and tried to be polite;
With snowy bibs beneath their chins they were a pretty sight.
But, alas for manners beautiful, and coats as soft as silk!
The moment that the little kits were asked to take some milk,
They dropped their spoons, forgot to bow, and—oh, what do you think?
They put their noses in the cups and all began to drink!
Yes, every naughty little kit set up a Mee-ow for more,
Then knocked the tea-cup over, and scampered through the door.

MANY THANKS

Sing, sing, what shall I sing?
Many thanks to my Queen,
I will sing,
I will sing.

Do, do, what shall I do?
I will run away home,
And go to bed too,
And go to bed too.

GOOD NIGHT

Yes, I have put my jacket on,
And my Good Night have said,
And now I’m going home again,
And then straightway to bed.

THE LAST TALE

The book is done, the tales are told;
Don’t wake me with your noise.
For I’m as tired,—as tired, I guess,
As many girls and boys.

A WORD TO THE TEACHER

When a new school Reader comes to the hands of the primary teacher, she naturally asks: “Will this book give to my class of boys and girls a healthy stimulus of thought and pleasure? Will they receive through it valuable instruction and assistance in the mechanics of reading? Is the book sufficiently literary in style and artistic in form to command the respect and love of the children? Is it suggestive, dramatic, and ethically healthful? In a word, is it worth the precious time of the schoolroom?”

To the inquiring teacher who may examine this little book, which is devoted entirely to the frolics and fancies of kittens and cats, the following remarks may reveal a definite educational purpose and value in it.

Following the example of Mother Goose, the wise and classic rhymester of the nursery, we have taken a subject dear to the heart of childhood and have given it life and personality in the simple and unsophisticated manner of the child.

Many of the happiest playtime experiences of children are associated with their kittens. They delight to dress the frolicsome yet docile little creatures in doll gowns and jackets, and give them long rides in doll carriages, and make them sit at tiny tables and share in tea parties, then put them to bed and perhaps give them water medicine for an imaginary ill. Can there be a more normal and healthy pastime for a little child than this?

In one respect kittens take precedence over dolls. They are _alive_. They _must_ be treated kindly. They will not bear the abuse and neglect given to many beautiful dolls. They demand attention and companionship, and they return a real devotion for kindness and care. Therefore we love them, and especially do our children love them and delight in stories or pictures of them.

Those of us who have had glimpses of the child heart and mind know that stories of kittens and queens and parties yield much the same delight to the little reader of juvenile fiction, as do adventure and romance to the grown-up reader.

This simple story about the Queen of the Kitten Country and the party which she gives in her palace, ought, therefore, to meet one of the most important requirements for a higher first grade school Reader, that of a strong appeal to the child in subject matter and illustration. With the interest keenly aroused the difficulties in learning to read are mastered quickly and with pleasure. However, the following brief suggestions are given to assist any teacher who may need them in making use of the book to the greatest advantage for her class.

SUGGESTIONS

Before the reading of the book is begun there might well be one or two story-telling periods. Each child should be encouraged to tell a story, from his own experience if possible, about a kitten, or a party, or to give his idea of a queen.

The children should be assisted in recalling and in learning Mother Goose rhymes and other verses about cats. Give them several blackboard drawing lessons showing cats in different positions and costumes. A frieze of kittens may be started at the top of the blackboard, adding each new kitten character to the row as the story progresses. This frieze will furnish material for several varieties of “busy work.”

A valuable exercise to stimulate thought and facility of expression is to assign a short page for a child to read silently, which he later gives aloud in his own words before the teacher and class.

Interesting and profitable reviews may be frequently had by assigning a cat character to each child, having them read in order the text devoted to their special character. The first review of this kind may well occur at the end of page twenty, where the preparations for the party are completed. When the party is over a final review may be given in dramatic form. The children should impersonate the different cats and tell their tales to amuse the Queen, who sits on her throne. This final dramatic review would naturally begin with the call of the Commanding Officer on page twenty-two. Each child should memorize his part and give it with spontaneous expression and action. Slight costuming may be prepared if desired, or the blackboard frieze may furnish the cat pictures, while the children give life and action to them.

Other special and valuable reviews may be developed from the large amount of verse in the book, each child choosing a favorite verse to read or recite or to illustrate on the blackboard. The children should be encouraged to make rhyming sentences and word lists of their own, using the fundamental thought or words in the day’s lesson as a basis. From such rhymes and lists of rhyming words, phonic work may be developed as the teacher chooses.

There are about six hundred words in the vocabulary of “Kittens and Cats,” and though it has not been mechanically graded, it should be within easy grasp of upper first grade pupils, after the usual Primer work is done. Each page of the book is a complete brief story well suited to the daily lesson period. These short stories are so related, however, as to make one continuous long story, thus keeping the interest of the children keen throughout the book. Books of this nature have proved a great stimulus to thoughtful and fluent reading, which, after all, is the high aim in primary work.