Pistes d'exploration

Practise reading the rhymes with a friend.

Identify unfamiliar vocabulary (e.g. pods, course) and make new sentences using these words. Note and list the rhyming words.

Invent your own answers for one of the questions such as "What stops your sorrow?" In a small group, make a poster to write about and illustrate your collective ideas.

Brainstorm for other places the cat could visit. Write a page about one of them.

Read the rhymes along with the teacher.

Make a list of the rhyming words. Use resources to learn the meaning of new vocabulary.

Retell the cat’s voyage with the help of a world map. Flag the places he visits.

Write about a new place for the cat to visit. What he would do and how long might he stay?

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Mots-clés

Nursery rhymes , Poetry , cats , retelling , stories in rhyme , travel

Commentaire descriptif

Beautiful word-images are conjured up in this poem about the (further) adventures of nursery rhyme hero “Pussycat, Pussycat.” After visiting London and the Queen, Pussycat ventures to France: “Did you stay long? Just for the length of a toe-tapping song.” He wanders through an Australian landscape of echidna and platypus, travels with saltimbanques, kayaks the northern seas, flies a balloon over a southwestern desert, before finally returning home to a waiting friend, who is eager to hear about his travels. The strong rhythms are a pleasure to read aloud. The call and response format can encourage reading in a group or in pairs. Poetic answers to concrete questions will delight readers of a wide range of skills: “Pussycat, Pussycat, How far did you go? The length of a stage And the span of a show.” Painterly illustrations revel in deep colour and thick, variant brush strokes. The style recalls paintings by European greats, such as Cézanne, at the turn of the last century. This illustrated poem is an imaginative, engaging and pleasurable adventure for readers of all ages.