I Want a Cat: My Opinion Essay

by Darcy Pattison, Ewa O'Neill (Illustrator)

Overview

The Cat of Her Dreams!

When cousins Mellie and Dennis decide to get a cat, they consider carefully what breed would be best for each family. For example, Mellie wants a cat that pounces, but Dennis wants a lazy cat, like his lazy dog, Clark Kent. Mellie wants a lap cat, but Dennis just wants a warm body BESIDE him. They consider different cat personalities, family situations, and personal preferences.

Mellie writes an opinion essay for her teacher, Mr. Eagle. But will her essay convince her parents to get the cat of her dreams?

This children's picture book takes a popular subject-kids getting a pet-and adds cats of all sizes and shapes: all writing lessons should be this much fun. In the end, it's the cousins and the cats that keep a reader turning the page. What kind of cat will Mellie choose? Will Dennis want the same kind of cat?

This story hits many notes:

• A family story about cousins, Dennis and Mellie
• Information on dog breeds
• Responsible cat ownership
• Mentor-text for teaching writing
• Model opinion essay for elementary students
• Models the writing process, especially the importance of pre-writing or planning before you write
• Completes the writing process by showing the results of Dennis's essay

I WANT A CAT almost makes opinion essays look too easy. But it works on many other levels, as well. Younger kids will be excited to learn the differences between dogs and will laugh at the antics of the dogs. Elementary kids will rejoice in a story of cousins (and will write the best essays ever!). A universal dream - a great pet - becomes an engaging writing lesson.

See other books in THE READ AND WRITE series:

• I Want a Cat: My Opinion Essay
• My Crazy Dog: My Narrative Essay
• My Dirty Dog: My Informative Essay (forthcoming)

WATCH DARCY PATTISON EXPLAIN HOW TO TEACH OPINION ESSAYS

In a short, informative video, Darcy Pattison explains how to teach opinion essays with this book: mimshouse.com/writing-opinion-essays/

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781629440323
Publisher:	Mims House
Publication date:	01/08/2015
Series:	Read and Write , #2
Pages:	34
Product dimensions:	8.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.25(d)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Published in nine languages, children's book author and writing teacher DARCY PATTISON has been published with Harcourt, Philomel/Penguin, Harpercollins, Arbordale, and Mims House. Her books received recognition for excellence with starred reviews in Kirkus, BCCB and PW. Twice her books have been honored as National Science Teacher's Association Outstanding Science Trade books. The Journey of Oliver K. Woodman (Harcourt) received an Irma Simonton Black and James H. Black Award for Excellence in Children's Literature Honor Book award, was named a Notable Book in Language Arts, and has been reprinted in a Houghton Mifflin textbook.

Ewa O'Neill (ewaoneill.com) live in England with her husband and twin sons.

Editorial Reviews

Classroom teachers will appreciate this breezy and engaging introduction to genre writing. The story outlines the development of an essay as two cousins, Dennis and Mellie, share what type of dog each would like, covering factors such as size, disposition, grooming requirements, and so on. Facts about various breeds are woven throughout their written communications, and charming pastel illustrations help portray canine physical and personality traits. Dennis' efforts not only earn him an A but also reward him with the pet of his choice: a Bernese mountain dog. The model essay can be used across multiple genres (informational and narrative nonfiction in addition to opinion). The action only covers a couple steps in the writing process (prewriting and publishing), but his picture book is not intended to be a textbook. Students will likely relate to the content, character, and the happy ending. Useful as an introduction to series such as Norwood House's Writing Builders, this can also be useful for teachers showing early elementary students the relevancy, power, and importance of effective writing. Booklist June 2015

From the Publisher

05/01/2015
Gr 1–3—Cousins Mellie and Dennis each want a pet. Through emails to one another, they discuss criteria for a new cat/dog: activity level, temperament, vocalization, handling, intelligence, grooming, and more. Their conversations present readers with information about some of the most popular cat/dog breeds. In I Want a Cat, Mellie is assigned to write an essay on the topic and shares her work at the end of the story. Her opinion essay earns an A from the teacher and a Maine Coon from her parents. Dennis gets a Russian Blue. In I Want a Dog, Dennis is assigned to write the essay. He earns an A from the teacher and a Bernese Mountain Dog from his parents, while Mellie gets a Maltese. These books, authored by a professional development consultant, are framed by explicit methods for teaching writing. The accompanying colorful collage illustrations provide visual information that could help readers begin to discriminate cat/dog breeds. These stories might be categorized as instructional literature, as they is overtly didactic. The closing pages offer some additional information about conducting a research project on choosing a cat/dog breed, writing an informative essay, and crafting a narrative. VERDICT While these titles might fill a niche for teachers, they will not be students' first choices for independent reading.—Lindsay Persohn, University of South Florida, Tampa

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