Greedy Cat’s Door
by Joy Cowley
illustrated by Robyn Belton
Overview
After overindulging in Christmas pudding, Greedy Cat finds that he can no longer fit
through his cat door. Luckily, his loyal friend Katie comes up with a solution.
Suggested purposes
This text supports the comprehension strategies of making and confirming predictions and
determining cause and effect. This story is packed with text features. The rich, repetitive
language and the humour provide many opportunities for expressive reading and
rereading. Lunch for Greedy Cat is another Dragonflies title at the early level.
Text features (Focus on only one or two per session.)
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the initial consonant blends – cr, chr, fr, gr, st, wr
the digraphs -th – then, that, this; -sh – push
the descriptive verbs – wriggle, stomped
the use of words with silent letters – know, what, wriggle
the opposites – in and out, big and small
the use of onomatopoeia – POP!, purr
the use of alliteration – peas, potatoes, pudding on pages 8 and 9; push, push … POP!
on pages 12 and 13
the text in the illustration on page 10
the use of direct speech
the possessive apostrophe in the title
the use of exclamation marks and print of different sizes and colours for emphasis
the use of the ellipsis to suggest time passing on pages 8 and 9, and for anticipation
on page 12
the use of a dash to separate ideas in a sentence on pages 2, 3, 6, 7, and 16
the symmetrical structure of pages 2 and 3, 6 and 7
the strong narrative structure
the shifts in time
the different points of view of Katie and her parents
Setting the scene
Have a short discussion about cats. How can a cat get in and out of a house if the door is shut?
Ask the students to mime the way a cat goes through a cat door. Introduce the vocabulary
“front legs” and “back legs”. We are going to read a story about a cat called Greedy Cat. Why
do you think he is called Greedy Cat? Reinforce the idea that Greedy Cat is unusual because he
eats food that other cats don’t.
The first reading
Focus on the cover of the book. What is Greedy Cat doing? What time of year is it? How do you
know? Listen to the students read the title. Read the names of the author and the illustrator.
Back cover – Read aloud the preview question. Discuss the students’ predictions.
Title page – Discuss the illustration. There is a size discrepancy between Greedy Cat and the
cat door. Can you see anything that might be a problem in this picture? Let’s read the story and
find out if you are right.
Pages 2 and 3 – If necessary, recall the discussion and the mime in “Setting the scene” to help
work out the words “front” and “back”. If the students read “wiggle” for “wriggle”, remind them
that the “w” in front of an “r” is silent.
Page 4 – Note the difference in ideas between Dad and Katie. Who is right? Encourage the
students to read with expression.
Page 5 – How does Greedy Cat feel? How would he say “meow”? Use the board to help the
students decode “stomped”. Discuss its meaning.
Listen to the students read pages 6 and 7 themselves, supporting them as necessary.
Pages 8 and 9 – What special day is it? Note the double ellipses to denote the passage of time.
Focus on the illustration on page 9. Is Greedy Cat supposed to be eating pudding? How do
you know?
Page 10 – What is Greedy Cat trying to say to Mum? Draw the students’ attention to the
message on the fridge.
Page 11 – Why are there so many “wriggles” on this page? How does the author want you to read
this page?
Page 13 – What has happened?
Page 14 – Savour the illustration before reading the text. Note that “laughed” has no picture
support. What would Dad do when he saw Greedy Cat like this?
Support the students in working out the idea of “wearing” the door. The door is stuck around
his middle like a skirt.
Page 15 – What do you think Greedy Cat needs?
Page 16 – Note that time has passed. Katie is wearing different clothes, and Dad has bought the
new door. If the students have difficulty with the word “doggy”, write it on the board. Remove
the “gy” ending, then replace it when the students recognise “dog”.
Ideas for revisiting the text (Choose only one or two per session.)
• Listen to the students reread the text, observing their attention to the print details and
punctuation and their use of expression.
• Focus on any of the initial consonants or blends that the students may have been unsure of.
Locate the words in context and make a list of other words that start the same way.
• Identify the descriptive verbs “wriggled” and “stomped”. Mime the actions and make up oral
sentences using the verbs.
• Make a list of the food that Greedy Cat had for Christmas Dinner. What do you notice about
some of the words? Why did the author put the words that start with “p” together?
• Locate the ellipsis on page 12 and reread the page expressively, stressing the build-up of
anticipation before shouting “POP!”
• Identify the dash on page 2 and talk about how it separates the ideas but doesn’t stop the
sentence like a full stop. Find other examples.
• Discuss the different points of view of Katie and her dad on page 4. What does Dad think
that Greedy Cat should do? Does Katie agree? What is Dad thinking on page 16?
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Suggestions for further activities
• Make a swinging cat door using cardboard.
• Write or draw a diet and exercise plan for Greedy Cat.
• Dramatise the story.
• Write a menu for a special meal.
• Write a “lift the flap” story about Greedy Cat.
• Write a thought bubble for Greedy Cat to go with the illustration on page 14 (or pages 2, 6, 8,
9, or 11).
• BLM word activity: practise punctuating sentences
The students can read aloud the words in each speech bubble. They can then write the
words from the speech bubbles in the appropriate spaces and punctuate each sentence.
The first example has been done.
• BLM comprehension activity: write a story that incorporates cause and effects in a similar
way to that of the book
Encourage the students to think of an alternative character to Greedy Cat. They can
complete the story map, replacing Greedy Cat with their character. They can then write their
version of the story in the space provided.
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