Dog Called Kitty

For any reader who has been bitten by a dog and developed a fear of dogs. I was attacked by a german shepherd in 1971 and I could relate to Ricky and his story. I read this aloud to my seven year old and he loved it.

LibraryThing member EleanorR

I loved this book when my second graded teacher read it to me. It is so sweet and a feel good sort of book. It brings back so many memories when i read it because i loved the book for so long.

LibraryThing member AnnaMarieOkie

A very heart warming story about a boy that overcomes his fear of dogs. Ricky was attacked by a dog when he was younger. Therefore, when a stray dog ends up on his land, he is less than thrilled. Ricky eventually warms up to the dog and they form a deep friendship. The theme of the book is one of

overcoming your fears and loving someone enough you are willing to sacrifice anything for them.

I loved this book when I was a child and love it now. I would sit there and laugh at Bill Wallace's humorous stories. I would also find myself teary eyed at other moments.

This book would just be a great book to read to your class. I believe any child could relate to this book and would enjoy it as much as anyone else. Bill Wallace has a way with his writing that touches you. Extension ideas would be getting the class to write a letter to Ricky after his loss and also it would be a great time to examine our own fears as a classroom as Ricky did.

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LibraryThing member MadalynN

Ricky and his family live in the city but Dad decides to move to the farm. A stray dog wonders onto their farm and ran to eat the cats food everytime Mama called "Here Kitty, Kitty." Ricky was attacked by a dog when he was a young child so he is terrified of all dogs. He wanted nothing to do with

that dog but he did not want the dog to starve to death. Ricky started to feed the dog daily and soon began to like him. He called the dog Kitty. They did everything together, even got into some trouble a few times. Kitty and Ricky were best friends. Kitty dies in an accident. Ricky is heart broken until one day another stray wonders onto their farm. Ricky says he is going to feed it back to health, then run it off. He smiles because he has said that before.

This book takes place in Chickasaw, Oklahoma. I was born in Lawton, Oklahoma. I like reading about places I have been. I have been to and through Chickasaw many of times. I feel like I understand more of their country/farm life.

I would have my students do research on Oklahomas History; state bird, state flower, state rock, etc.
I would like to take a trip to a farm and see how Ricky and his family lived.

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LibraryThing member cltnae

What I thought: I really enjoyed this book, I thought is was cute, funny, and exciting. I could not put this book down because it was such an easy read. The way the book was written made it so fun and easy to read. I really liked how the young boy was able to overcome his fear of dogs with the help

of a lost pup. The bond that formed between them was so moving and so cute that I couldn't wait to see what would happen next.

Summary: A Dog Called Kitty by Bill Wallace (2005) The story begins with a family living in a big city with a dream of being able to move out to a farm. One day the father comes home and tells his family that they were moving out to the country. The mother did not want to go but she had no choice. Eventually she was able to enjoy being out of the city and being able to live an easier life. As the years went on the children got older. One summer when his mother went to feed the cats a stray pup came to eat too. Day after day the pup was still there. Eventually the pup did not get enough to eat and was unable to move. The young boy to pitty on the pup and began to feed him. As time went on the boy wa able to get closer to the pup and formed a bond between the too. By the end of the summer the pup had grown into a dog and was left at home whil the boy was in school during the day. One day the boy went to visit his dad where he worked and his dog went ahead. Before the men could stop a stack of heavy pipes were unloaded just when the dog had gotten there. The dog called kitty was crushed under the weight of the pipes. Soon it was the boys birthday and he had his friends over at the end of the party a fight was about to break out when the boys heard another fight between a dog and another stray pup. With that day the cycle began again with the boy and the dog.

Classroom Extensions:
1) I would read a few chapters everyday to my class. At the end of each reading I would pass out pieces of paper and ask my students to draw their feelings about each chapter, and why. This excersise is to help my students express themselves, and to help with their writing skills.
2) I would read this story by chapter to my students. Once I had finished reading the book to my students I would have them write what their favorite part of the book was and read it to the class.

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LibraryThing member btivis

A Dog Called Kitty tells of a boy who moves to a farm outside of Chickasha, Ok., leaving a big city behind. He is horrified one night when he goes out to feed the cats and a stray dog has wondered up. Remembering being attacked by a dog when he was young, he hides in hopes of the dog running off.

When his dad has to come rescue him, a huge fight ensues. Dad thinks he needs to grow up, but he just can't get past it all. He finally gets to where he doesn't run from the dog but he refuses to feed it. One day he finds the dog in the barn about to die. He is horrified at the thought of getting close to it, but he can't stand to let it die. As he begins to feed the dog to save his life, a bond is established that makes for an unforgetable friendship.
I had heard about Bill Wallace being a principal from Chickasha and he had written a few books that were pretty good. I guess that's how we refer to things that our fellow Oklahomans do - "pretty good". When I read this book, I was surprised at how good it really was. I don't know if I have cried any harder with a first read of a book. I felt every emotion that was happening in the book. I was totally engrossed in it the entire time. I read this book every year to my third graders. ( Usually sweet talking a co-worker read the ending.) They loved it as much as I did. I think this is a peice of literature that all students should get a chance to read.

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LibraryThing member weeksie50

This book is about a boy who's afraid of dogs. A stray puppy comes around looking for food. The Mother of the family always puts out scraps of food for the cats and calls "Here Kitty, Kitty, Kitty, Kitty!" The Puppy comes too, but the cats attack him. He is about to starve when Ricky decides to

feed him. In the process of giving him the food, Ricky overcomes his fear of dogs. The dog is called Kitty because he comes running for the food every time Ricky's mom calls Kitty! They become friends.

Although, the dog dies in the book and there are some graphic scenes (dog fights) this book is very intriguing to stundents.

I would use this book as a read aloud.

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LibraryThing member Jdonldsn

Heartwarming stories of letting friendship grow as fear dies! Bill Wallace masterfully maneuvers readers around a young boys immobilizing fear. A must read for any child dealing with such fears.

LibraryThing member Laura_Frederick

This book is adorable. It is a heart warming tale about a boy and the bond he shares with an adorable little dog that he is actually afraid of at one point in the novel due to a bad accident with a former canine. Yes the book is simple and is more directed to younger kids, but I loved it and still

enjoy reading it to this day. Highly recommended!

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LibraryThing member kenzie12368

A Dog Called Kitty is a very good book, which I think can be recommended for 4th to 6th graders. It is heart warming, except for the tragic, sad ending to Kitty. But, of course, another puppy comes along!

LibraryThing member AliciaRollins

This book is a very sweet heart-warming tale about a little boy who did not like dogs very much. One day a stray dog comes up and the boy decided to feed him. The book shows the relationship between the boy and the dog, but at the end there is a tragic end to the poor dog named Kitty. I am an

animal lover myself and I have to admit when I was read this book in fifth grade I cried. My teacher was also crying as she read this book to us. I would say this book is for older children. I remember as a child thinking this book was long. All around good sweet story.

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LibraryThing member ss116531

Summary:
A Dog Called Kitty is the story of a boy that has a pretty healthy fear of dogs. Ricky was once attacked by a dog and it was something he never really got over. His family moves to a farm in Oklahoma and Ricky is forced to face his fear of dogs. He meats a pesky stray that hangs around the

family's house and begs for food each night. The young boy tries to shoo the dog away and finally decides to nurse the dog back to health so that he can kick him off the place. However, Ricky starts to really like the dog and they become pretty good friends. Ricky was able to overcome his fears because of a stray dog he names Kitty.

Personal Reaction:
I really love Bill Wallace books but I think that this may be my favorite. It is such an awesome story and as the reader, you can really feel the things that Ricky is going through. There were some parts of the story that are so heart wrenching, you forget that you are reading to group of young kids. You can really get inside this story and have an emotional and personal reaction just like the characters. I think this is a really great story to share with young or older students. Especially if you know that some of them are dealing with fears of there own.

Extension Ideas:
After reading each chapter, ask the students to write a short entry in their creative writing stories. Ask them to predict what will happen or how the day's reading made them feel.

Hold a group discussion and have some of the students share what some of there fears are. How can they overcome them? What can they learn from the relationship between Ricky and Kitty? Encourage students to interact with each other during this class discussion.

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LibraryThing member Tarakalynn

Summary:
A stray dog enters into Ricky's life unexpectedly. He has a terrific fear of dogs, due to an attack when he was little. Kitty was still able to wiggle his way into Ricky's heart. When a pack of dogs threatened their lives, they showed how much they loved eat other. Ricky was able to face

his fear and save his friends life.

Personal Reaction:
I have had pets that drove me crazy, but I loved them anyways. Pets can become your best friends without you realizing it. If you open up your heart you may be surprised what finds its way in.

Classroom Extension:
1. Have students draw pictures of their pet.
2. Talk about fears, and how you can overcome them like Ricky did.

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