December Online Book Club: Got Me a Cat by Darcy Pattison

Got Me a Cat by Darcy Pattison

Got Me a Cat packs an emotional punch in a thirty-seven page story for kids ages 6-9.

When Benjy adopted a neighborhood cat who seemed to need a new owner and named her Tricks, his mom tried to warn him it might be temporary. Later, he discovers his neighbor’s granddaughter Erika is the cat’s true owner. Moreover, Trick’s real name is Fluffy.

Got Me a Cat conveys the beginning of a fragile friendship where the kids come from different backgrounds but have something important in common-a longing for the same pet! We see Benjy grow as he has to accept the hard news that you can’t always get what you want.

One of my favorite parts of the book is that Erika is deaf and uses a hearing aid and ASL to communicate. Erika stays with her grandmother during the week while she attends a nearby school for the deaf, but she’s adjusting to tough changes too. Author Darcy Pattison manages to make you care about both kids and the cat, all while coming up with a neat way to solve their problems. Thirteen beautiful black and white sign language illustrations are included. Geared toward kids ages 6-9, it’s a good early reader for kids ready to move on from picture books like the Duke series to beginning chapter books.

Got Me a Cat would be a great gift idea any time of the year.

Darcy Pattison is an award winning author of many popular fiction and non-fiction picture books, chapter books, and middle grade novels. Other titles I’ve recommended are Clang, a book about sounds, and the KittyTubers series about kittens who go viral online.

Kelly Brakenhoff is the author of 15 books and a seasoned ASL interpreter. She splits her writing energy between two series: cozy mysteries set on a college campus and children’s books featuring Duke the Deaf Dog.

Parents, kids, and teachers love the children’s books and activity guides because they introduce ASL and the Deaf community through fun, engaging stories. And if you enjoy a smart female sleuth, want to learn more about Deaf culture, or have ever lived in a place where livestock outnumber people, the Cassandra Sato Mystery series will have you connecting the dots faster than a group project coming together the night before it’s due.

A proud mom to four adults, head of the dog-snuggling department, and grandma to a growing brood of perfectly behaved grandkids, Kelly and her husband call Nebraska home.