Millions of Cats
by Wanda Gag (Coward-McCann)
Themes:Animals/Pets/Values
Grade Level:K-2
Running Time:11 minutes,iconographic
Summary
MILLIONS OF CATS is about an elderly man and
woman who are lonely.The woman tells her husband
that a cat would make her happy.The man searches
for one cat and,much to his surprise,comes to a hill
covered with "hundred of cats,thousands of cats,millions
and billions and trillions of cats." He looks for
the prettiest cat to bring home.Each time he chooses
one,he sees another that looks prettier and decides to
bring that one home too.By the time the man arrives
back home,he has all the cats with him.
The woman is overwhelmed by the number of cats
and says that they can keep only one.Meanwhile,the
cats fight among themselves as to which is the prettiest,
the one to be kept by the man and woman.
Eventually,one lone scraggly cat is left.The man and
woman bring the cat into the house and care for it.
The cat becomes as beautiful to its owners as the others.
Objectives
• Children will lean about the importance of caring
for one another
• Children will investigate values
• Children will explore the importance of self-esteem
Before Viewing Activities
Share the book Millions of Cats with children.Then
ask:Why did the man have such a hard time deciding
which cat to bring home?Do you think this was a
good way to choose?Why/Why not?How did the
cats feel when they had to choose among themselves
who would stay with the man and woman?How do
you think the man and woman felt as they watched
the cats quarreling?
Why did the cats leave the one cat that was left alone?
How do you think the cat felt about being the only
one left?What did the man and woman do to make
the cat,and themselves,happy?
Invite children to imagine that the numbers of pets in
their homes were increased by hundreds or thousands.
Ask:Where would you keep all of your pets?How
would you care for them all?How do you think your
pets would feel about having so many other animals
around them?Give children an opportunity to draw
pictures of "hundreds of pets,thousands of pets,millions
and trillions and billions of pets" in their households.
After Viewing Activities
Talk with children about the way the man made his
decision about which cat to bring home.Ask:How
would you have decided which cat to bring home?
Then give children an opoprtunity to draw pictures of
their family members and share the pictures with the
class.As children share their pictures,encourage
them to talk about the things they like most about
their family members.Then ask quesitons such as:
Would you still like those things about your mom if
her hair was brown instead of blonde?Would you
still like those things about your brother if he were
shorter?Would you still like those things about your
sister if she wore shoes that you didn't like?Through
this method of questioning,help children see that it is
a person's feelings and behaviors,rather than physical
characteristics,that make them special.
Ask children:How do you think the cat felt about
herself before the man and woman chose to keep her?
How do you think the cat felt after the man and
woman cared for her?Then help children make simple
"All About Me" booklets.Have children draw
pictures in their booklets,or fill them with pictures
cut from magazines that will help others learn more
about how they feel,what they like,what they dislike.
Later,give children an opportunity to share their
booklets with the class.Ask:How do you feel when
you help your friends to know more about you?What
is the most important thing for them to know about
you?How does it make you feel to know more about
your friends?Why?
Other book based films and videos that explore selfesteem
are available from Weston Woods.These
include:
THE CATERPILLAR AND THE POLLIWOG by
Jack Kent
CORDUROY by Don Freeman
THE MOST WONDERFUL EGG IN THE WORLD
by Helme Heine
THE UGLY DUCKLING written by Hans Christian
Andersen and illustrated by Svend Otto S.
WHISTLE FOR WILLIE by Ezra Jack Keats
THE WIZARD by Jack Kent
