< Board Books

Cats!

Support developing literacy with Cats!, uniquely designed to help families establish reading habits from an early age.

The second installment of the new DR. Books series, Cats! is uniquely designed to help families establish reading habits from an early age. Questions within the book provide a built-in tool for grown-ups to engage in "dialogic reading" with children, inviting them to actively participate in the story and relate it to their own lives—an excellent way to promote early literacy skills. Start reading and learning today with Cats!

Click here to download a printable Cats! coloring page.

What is dialogic reading?

Dialogic reading is reading aloud in a way that invites the child to actively participate in the story and relate it to his or her life. Some families read naturally in a dialogic way (pausing to ask questions and expand, etc.), but many do not. Cats! makes it easy to practice this technique at home.

Dialogic reading looks like this:

Introduce the book to build interest.

CROWD Prompts

Completion (“When cats talk, they say _____.”)
Recall (“Remember the cat on the last page?”)
Open-Ended questions (“Share your thoughts on that.”)
Wh- Questions (“Where does this cat live?”)
Distancing (“Does this cat remind you of ____?”)

PEER Sequence

Prompt (“What color is this cat?”)
Evaluate (“That’s right, it’s black!”)
Expand (“It’s a black, soft cat.”)
Repeat (“Can you say ‘black, soft cat?'”)

  

Discuss the book after reading to maintain interest—and build interest in the next book!


Watch the book trailer below!

Publication Information

List Price: $7.99
ISBN: 978-1-936669-58-5
Publication Date: September 2017
Format: Board book
Dimensions: 5.5" x 5.5"
Page Count: 14
Ages: 0-3


Buy Cats!

Families and individuals can purchase blue manatee press books at many independent bookstores around the United States, so shop local and support small businesses by checking out the stores in your area or shop using the Indiebound or Bookshop buttons below! You can also purchase this book online through Amazon, Barns & Noble, or Indigo (CA) buttons below.

Shop Local

You can help support local and independent bookstores by purchasing blue manatee press books from Indiebound or Bookshop. Simply click either of the buttons below, and search by book or by location!

Shop Online

blue manatee press books are distributed by IPG and available at most major retail locations such as Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Indigo (Canada).


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About the Author: 

Dr. John Hutton is a pediatrician and clinical researcher at the Cincinnati Children's Hospital Reading and Literacy Discovery Center, and owner of blue manatee children’s bookstore.

About the Illustrator: 

Doug Cenko is an illustrator living in Chicago, IL. He has worked at an animation studio, a live special effects company and design agencies, but illustration is what he truly loves to do. When he’s not drawing, you can find him (or better yet, not find him) mastering the art of hide-and-seek with his wife and daughter.


Cats! Activities

Enjoy our printable and downloadable activities based on the DR board book, Cats! Click the button below to be redirected to our Cats! Activities page.