I Want a Cat: My Opinion Essay

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.