ClassX Video Lessons Grade Grade 2 Officer Katz and Houndini: A Tale of Two Tails | A Fun Little Story about unlikely Friendship
Hey everyone! Welcome to the Storytime Family. Today, we’re going to read a fun story called “Officer Katz and Houndini: A Tale of Two Tales” by Maria Gianferrari. Are you ready? Let’s begin!
Officer Katz is a super smart cat who loves to invent cool things. He lives in a place called Kitty City. But there’s one thing he can’t do: catch the great Houndini! Houndini is a dog who is the best at escaping from anything. Every year, Houndini comes to Kitty City with his show called “The Great Escape.” Everyone loves to watch him escape from tricky traps!
Officer Katz is about to retire, which means he won’t be working anymore. This is his last chance to catch Houndini. When Houndini arrives in town, he sets up his show with his squirrel friends. The people of Kitty City are excited to see him escape from handcuffs, ropes, and boxes. They clap and cheer for him!
Officer Katz has a plan. He tells Houndini, “I’ll give you three chances to escape from my traps. If I win, you have to leave Kitty City forever.” Houndini agrees and says, “If I win, I’ll be the boss, and Kitty City will become Houndiniville!”
On the first day, Officer Katz uses a sticky net to try and catch Houndini. It’s like a spider web! Houndini rolls and twists, but he gets stuck. Just when Officer Katz thinks he’s won, Houndini disappears like magic!
On the second day, Officer Katz shows off his cat’s box, a tricky maze. Houndini goes left, right, up, and down. It looks like he’s trapped, but then he disappears again! Officer Katz can’t believe it.
On the third day, Officer Katz tries his best invention yet. Houndini steps into a sack, and Officer Katz ties it up. But when the sack flies into the air, Houndini escapes once more! The crowd cheers loudly.
Officer Katz and Houndini realize they don’t have to be enemies. They decide to work together and take their show on the road. With help from Squirrel and Deputy Catbird, they plan to visit Dog Town next. Everyone is excited to see what tricks they will do together!
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Invent Your Own Trap: Just like Officer Katz, try to invent your own trap using everyday items at home. Gather materials like string, paper, and tape. Think about how you can create a simple trap for a toy or a small object. Once you’ve built your trap, test it out and see if it works! Share your invention with a family member or friend and explain how it works.
Escape Artist Challenge: Pretend to be Houndini and create your own escape challenge. Use a blanket or a large piece of cloth to wrap around yourself like a cocoon. Time yourself to see how quickly you can escape! Can you beat your own time? Try different ways to wrap yourself and see which is the trickiest to escape from.
Friendship and Teamwork Discussion: Officer Katz and Houndini became friends and decided to work together. Think about a time when you worked with a friend to solve a problem or create something new. How did it feel to work as a team? What did you learn from each other? Share your story with the class or write it down in a journal.
Sure! Here’s a sanitized version of the transcript:
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[Music]
Hey everyone! Welcome to the Storytime Family. We are going to be reading “Officer Katz and Houndini: A Tale of Two Tales” by Maria Gianferrari. Shall we begin?
“Officer Katz and Houndini: A Tale of Two Tales”
Officer Katz was an inventor extraordinaire. His cat’s contraptions were the best in Kitty City. But even with the help of Deputy Catbird, Officer Katz could not catch the great Houndini, the world’s best escape artist. Houndini’s traveling show, “The Great Escape,” returned each year to Kitty City. Every time Houndini marked Davy Crockett’s portrait before eluding capture, none of Officer Katz’s feline forebears had ever captured Houndini.
Officer Katz was retiring; it was his last chance to catch the great Houndini and teach that old dog some new tricks. Houndini hurtled into town, tipping his top hat, his cape billowing in the breeze. Houndini and the squirrels set up the tent in the Kitty City square. The citizens of Kitty City filled the seats, and paparazzi lined the aisles. Houndini high-tailed it out of handcuffs, and the crowd oohed. Houndini skedaddled out of the stocks, and the crowd gasped. Houndini wrestled out of ropes and burst free from boxes. [Applause] The crowd oohed and ahhed some more. Houndini clipped his cape and tipped his top hat, but it was the same show city after city, year after year.
“Wait!” shouted Officer Katz as the curtain closed. He twirled his cat rope like a lasso. “I’ll give you three chances to escape me. When I win, you have to flee Kitty City, call off the dogs, and never return again.”
Houndini’s hair began to prickle, his top hat tipped, and his tail wagged. “You’re on,” said Houndini. “But when I win, I’ll be top dog, you’ll grow a mustache, and Kitty City will become Houndiniville, the Great Houndini!”
On the first day, Officer Katz strung his new and improved cat’s net in Cat and Mouse Playground. It was as sticky as a spider web and as stretchy as a cat’s cradle. Officer Katz draped it over fish ponds, around feather danglers, and through catnip bushes, then coiled it around Houndini. Houndini rolled to the left and unrolled to the right. Houndini twisted and turned, but he was wrapped and trapped.
“Tabby Times: Not the Cat’s Meow!” Officer Katz straightened his cap and posed for the paparazzi until, with a bow and a wow, in the tip of his top hat, Houndini disappeared. Poof! Like magic.
On day two, Officer Katz showed off his cat’s box invention in Tidy Kitty Litter Park. The cat’s box was a maze within a cube. “My cat’s box will put Houndini in the dark house,” said Officer Katz to the paparazzi. Houndini turned left, then right, and then left again. He went straight down, diagonal, up, down—walls here, there, everywhere. Houndini looked stuck and out of luck.
“Tabby Times: Who Let the Dog Out? Woof!” Officer Katz straightened his cap and posed for the paparazzi until, with a bow and a wow, in the tip of his top hat, Houndini disappeared. Poof! Like magic.
On day three, Officer Katz constructed cat support in the Gardens of Scratchpole Palace. It was his prized invention. Houndini would soar through the sky; there was no way he could make a mid-air escape. “The cat’s definitely in the bag this time,” said Officer Katz to the paparazzi. Houndini stepped into the sack, and Officer Katz secured the cinch. He pulled the rope top, the sack slit lower and lower—one, two, three—blast off!
“Oops! What happened there?” Officer Katz did not pose, and Houndini did not tip his top hat. The crowd roared and clapped for more. The paparazzi snapped picture after picture. “Read all about it: Tabby Times: Cats and Houndini Are in the Bag!”
“My cat’s support is kaput!” said Officer Katz.
“Hot diggity dog, you caught me!” barked Houndini.
“Did I?” said Officer Katz, and the crowd loved it. “Let’s stop fighting like cats and dogs and take our show on the road!”
Officer Katz and Houndini shook paws. “I have one more trick up my sleeve,” said Houndini. “Presto chango!” And they both disappeared. Poof! Like magic.
“Tabby Times: Cats Got Our Tongues! Dog Town Daily: Gone to the Dogs!”
Officer Katz and Houndini took their show on the road with a little help from Squirrel and Deputy Catbird. Next stop: Dog Town!
[Applause]
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[Music]
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