Hello there! I’m excited to share a fun story with you called “Me and My Cat,” written and illustrated by Satoshi Kitamura. Let’s dive into this magical adventure!
One night, something very unusual happened. An old lady with a pointy hat flew into my bedroom through the window. She waved her broom and said some mysterious words before leaving without saying goodbye.
The next morning, my mom woke me up for school. But something felt different. As I got ready, I noticed something strange. I had whiskers! I ran to the mirror and saw my cat, Leonardo, staring back at me. But it was really me, Nicholas! I had turned into a cat!
At first, I was worried. But then I thought, maybe being a cat isn’t so bad. I didn’t have to go to school! I could jump on tables and climb shelves. It was so much fun!
Mom didn’t like my new cat tricks and sent me outside. In the garden, I met Gioconda, the neighbor’s cat, who licked my face. Yuck! I decided to explore more and walked along a warm brick wall.
As I walked, I met some mean-looking cats. I politely asked if I could pass, but they said no. Suddenly, we were wrestling and fell off the wall. Just then, Bernard, a friendly dog, came barking and scared the other cats away.
When I got home, I saw “me” trying to get in through the cat flap. But was it really me, Nicholas, or was it Leonardo in my body? Inside, he acted very strangely, like a cat! He scratched, licked, and even tried to sort laundry.
Mom noticed something was wrong and called the doctor. The doctor said I was just tired and needed rest. Mom hugged me all evening, and I felt sorry for her. I climbed onto Leonardo-in-my-shape and purred. Mom stroked me, and I purred again.
Later that night, the old lady returned. She realized her mistake and waved her broom again. The next morning, everything was back to normal. I was me, Nicholas, again!
At school, something funny happened. Mr. McGough, my teacher, acted like a cat! He scratched, licked, and even fell asleep during the lesson. What a day!
I hope you enjoyed this magical story. If you want to read it yourself, you can borrow the book from your local library. Thanks for joining me on this adventure!
Cat Observation Journal: Spend some time observing a cat if you have one at home or visit a friend’s house with a cat. Write down or draw what you see the cat doing. How does it move? What sounds does it make? What does it like to do? Share your observations with your classmates and discuss how being a cat might feel based on what you observed.
Role-Playing Adventure: With a friend or family member, act out a day in the life of a cat. Take turns being the cat and the human. What fun activities can you do as a cat? What challenges might you face? Use your imagination to create a little story about your day as a cat and share it with the class.
Magic Wand Craft: Create your own magic wand using sticks, paper, and other craft materials. Think about what magical powers your wand might have. If you could turn into any animal for a day, which one would you choose and why? Share your thoughts with your classmates and discuss what adventures you might have as that animal.
Sure! Here’s a sanitized version of the transcript:
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Hello, I’m Elijah Wood. Welcome to the SAG Foundation Storyline. I’ll be reading a story today called “Me and My Cat,” by Satoshi Kitamura, who both illustrated and wrote it. So let’s get into it.
Late one night, an old lady in a pointed hat came in through my bedroom window. She waved her broom at me and said some words before leaving without saying goodbye.
“Nicholas, wake up! You’ll be late for school.” It must be Mom. It must be morning again. Mom helped me get ready, and downstairs, she interrupted my breakfast, looking quite upset. She hurried me off to catch the school bus. I had gone… but I was still here.
“How strange,” I thought to myself, pulling at my whiskers. WHISKERS?! I rushed to the bathroom and looked in the mirror. Leonardo, my cat, was staring back at me. But it wasn’t him inside. It was me, Nicholas! I couldn’t believe my eyes. I had turned into a cat!
“Don’t panic,” I told myself. I sat in the armchair to think carefully about the situation… and then I fell asleep. When I woke up, I felt a little better. Maybe it wasn’t such a bad thing to be a cat. I didn’t have to go to school, did I? I hopped onto the table and then to the top of the shelves. What fun! I could never do this before.
I decided to leap toward the cupboard on the other side of the room. Ready, set… oops. Mom threw me out of the house. While I was exploring the garden, Gioconda, the next-door-neighbor cat, came up and licked my face. Yuck!
“Time to go for a walk,” I thought. The brick wall was warm under my paws. As I got close to Miss Thomson’s garden, a funny thought occurred to me. Miss Thomson had given me Leonardo when he was a kitten. Leonardo was Heloise’s son. Did that mean Heloise was now my mother?
“Miaow, Miam (Hello, Mom),” I called tentatively. She ignored me completely. Farther along, I came across three mean-looking cats.
“Excuse me. May I go through?” I asked.
“No, go away! It’s our wall,” replied one.
“I think the wall belongs to every–” But before I could finish, they were all over me. We wrestled until we fell off the wall, tangled together.
“Bowwowowow!” A dog came running toward us, barking loudly. The cats scattered in all directions. It was Bernard, Mr. Stone’s dog. He’s a sweet dog, my favorite in the neighborhood.
“Thanks, Bernard. You came just in time.” But he chased me out of the garden. Of course! He couldn’t recognize me.
So this was the world that Leonardo lived in. Life was as tough and complicated as it was for humans. When I got home, I went inside and heard a scratching noise at the front door. It was “me” back from school, trying to get in through the cat flap. But was he me, “Nicholas”? Or was he poor little Leonardo inside my body?
Once indoors, he continued to behave strangely. He scratched himself, challenged his shoes, licked his sweater clean, and spent a long time sharpening his nails. He found the goldfish particularly fascinating. He tried to sort the laundry and then the yarn, but eventually gave up. He found the radiator and the litter box irresistible. But he didn’t seem to like me at all.
Finally, Mom noticed something was wrong with her son. She became so worried that she called the doctor.
“Nothing to worry about,” said Dr. Wire. “He’s just a little overtired. Send him to bed early, and he’ll be fine in the morning.”
Mom was still very upset. She held him tight in her arms all evening. I felt sorry for them both. I climbed on Leonardo-in-my-shape and stroked his cheek. He purred. Then Mom stroked me gently. I purred.
Later that night, the old lady in the pointed hat came in through my bedroom window.
“Sorry, love. I got the wrong address,” she said. She waved her broom and said some words before leaving without saying goodnight.
“Nicholas, wake up! You’ll be late for school,” I heard Mom shout. Everything was back to normal.
At school, Mr. McGough sat on the table, scratched himself, licked his shirt, and fell asleep for the rest of the lesson.
Well, that’s the end of our story. It’s been very enjoyable to sit here and read to you. If you’d like to borrow this book from a library, go to your local library and get it so you can read along with me. Thank you very much!
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