Pioneer Cat

Super just finished an interesting book called Pioneer Cat by William H. Hooks. I asked her to share her thoughts about it...

Mom: What was your favorite part of Pioneer Cat?

Super: When Snugs the cat had kittens. She had kittens inside the covered wagon while they were crossing a river. The main character is Kate, and her little toddler brother kept pointing at their wagon and saying, "Kitty!" She thought he was worried about Snugs, but when she finally went in the wagon, Snugs was curled up with her kittens.

M: Where are they going in their covered wagon?

S: To Oregon. They're all in a wagon train. Kate meets her new friend named Rosie in the wagon train. That's one of the biggest parts of the story because she left her favorite friend behind when they left Jacksonville.

It seems like they don't really have a home. They travel everywhere in their wagon. They were in Jacksonville and that's the longest they ever stayed in one place. They stayed there two years. Before they leave for Oregon, Kate meets a little starved cat and names her Snugs.

M: Why is the cat named Snugs?

S: Because she snuggled up to her when they went to bed. She crawled underneath her quilt and Kate said, "You like to snuggle, don't you? I'll name you Snugs." In the morning her mom finds out about snugs.

M: How does the mom react?

At first she thinks Snugs followed them. But Kate can't stand the thought of not telling the truth, so she tells her mom, "I brought her with us, she didn't follow us." Her mom says, "You put her in the box?" And she says, "Yes," and her mom says, "Well, I did tell you that you could bring anything that fit in the box."

M: Explain about the box.

S: Before they leave for Oregon, the mom gives the kids each a box and says, "Here. You can take anything that fits in this box." Kate says, "How am I going to bring you with me Snugs?" And Snugs just jumps in the box. She's really smart. She can understand humans.

M: If I gave you a box like that, what would you put in it?

S: Monique (the rat) and Titan (the gerbil) and a few of my toys.

M: Is there anything else you want to add?

S: Snugs is always getting lost. Kate cries a lot in the book. One time a herd of bison ran through their camp and she thought Snugs got trampled.

You know what I did throughout the whole book? I kind of imagined I had the same problems that Kate had. Like when she was worried about Snugs getting trampled, I thought about if something like that happened to one of our pets. Or when Kate was leaving her best friend, I imagined how it would feel to move away and leave my best friend. That made the story more interesting for me.

M: What are you planning to read next?

S: Probably On the Road with Down, Girl and Sit.