SurLaLune Storytime: Here Kitty!

A Kitten is fast asleep under the chair
[Hide thumb under one hand.]
And Donald can't find her.
He's looked everywhere.
[Fingers circle eyes to look.]
Under the table
[Peek under one hand.]
And under the bed.
[Peek under other hand.]
He looked in the corner,
And then Donald said:
"Come Kitty, come Kitty,
This milk is for you."
[Cup hands for dish.]
And out came the kitty,
Calling, "Meow, meow."
[Thumb walks across lap.]

Three little kittens,
They lost their mittens,
And they began to cry,
Oh, mother dear,
We sadly fear
Our mittens we have lost.
What! Lost your mittens,
You naughty kittens!
Then you shall have no pie.
Mee-ow, mee-ow, mee-ow, mee-ow.
You shall have no pie.

The three little kittens,
They found their mittens,
And they began to cry,
Oh, mother dear,
See here, see here,
Our mittens we have found.
What! Found your mittens,
You darling kittens!
Then you shall have some pie.
Mee-ow, mee-ow, mee-ow, mee-ow.
You shall have some pie.

The three little kittens,
Put on their mittens,
And soon ate up the pie;
Oh, mother dear,
We greatly fear
Our mittens we have soiled.
What! Soiled your mittens,
You naughty kittens!
Then they began to sigh,
Mee-ow, mee-ow, mee-ow, mee-ow.
They began to sigh.

The three little kittens,
They washed their mittens,
And hung them out to dry;
Oh mother dear,
Look here, look here,
Our mittens we have washed.
What! Washed your mittens,
You're such good kittens.
I smell a rat close by!
Hush! Hush! Hush! Hush!
Hush! Hush! Hush!
I smell a rat close by.

I have a little kitty,
[Extend first and fourth fingers like ears.]
He is as quick as he can be.
[Make a sideways motion with one hand quickly.]
He jumps upon my lap
[Cup on hand in palm of other.]
And purrs a song to me.
[Make purring sound.]

Five little kittens
[Hand made into a fist.]
All black and white
Sleeping very soundly
All through the night.
Meow, meow, meow, meow
[Each finger raised in turn to "Meow".]
It's time to get up now.

	Three-Legged Cat by Margaret Mahy Age Level: PreK-2
Synopsis: A fortuitous mistake brings happiness to nearsighted Mrs. Gimble who wishes her cat didn't eat so much, her cat Tom who dreams of roaming the wide world, and Mrs. Gimble's drifter brother who wants to keep his head warm.

	Cat and Canary by Michael Foreman Age Level: PreK-2
Synopsis: A city cat who lives out his fantasy of being able to fly finds that staying on the ground isn't so bad after all.

	Here Comes the Cat! by Frank Asch Age Level: PreK-2
Synopsis: Cat's arrival causes excitement among residents of a mouse settlement.

More Books to Read On Your Own

Hondo and Fabian
by Peter McCarty
Age Level: Preschool and up
Synopsis: Hondo the dog gets to go to the beach and play with his friend Fred, while Fabian the cat spends the day at home.

Top Cat
by Lois Ehlert
Age Level: Preschool and up
Synopsis: Top Cat rules the house until an unexpected box arrives with someone new--and cute--inside. At first, Top Cat doesn't want to share his house and favorite things, but soon he learns that two cats can be lots more fun than one.

Millions of Cats
by Wanda Gag
Age Level: Preschool and up
Synopsis: An old man and his wife decide to get a cat, so the old man goes out in search of the prettiest cat of all. When he is forced to choose from "hundreds, thousands, millions and billions and trillions" of cats, he (naturally) brings them all home. When the wife points out their inability to support the legion of felines, it is left to the cats to decide who among them is the prettiest. Anyone who has ever owned more than a single cat can tell you what happens next.

Bedtime Cat
Lynn Reiser
Age Level: Toddler and up
Synopsis: Child and cat prepare for bedtime, and suddenly the cat disappears from sight.

Big Squeak, Little Squeak
Robert Kraus
Age Level: Toddler and up
Synopsis: Two mice have a dangerous encounter when they venture into a cheese shop run by Mr. Kit Kat.

Cat Tricks
Keith Baker
Age Level: Toddler and up
Synopsis: A playful cat cavorts on die-cut pages, baking cakes, paddling a canoe, and performing other feats.

Three Little Kittens
by Lorianne Siomades
Age Level: Toddler and up
Synopsis: Classic rhyme of three kittens and their lost mittens with bright illustrations.

Puss in Boots
by Charles Perrault
Age Level: Advanced Preschool and up
Synopsis: Classic fairy tale of a helpful cat with unusual footwear.

A Kitten's Year
by Nancy Raines Day
Age Level: Preschool and up
Synopsis: A kitten peeks at January, toys with February, stalks March, and eventually sniffs November and dreams December as it grows into a cat through the course of a year.

Where Is That Cat?
by Carol Greene
Age Level: Preschool and up
Synopsis: While trying to give away the cat she has found, Miss Perkins gradually grows fond enough of him that she decides to keep him.

Five Little Kittens
by Nancy Jewell
Age Level: Toddler and up
Synopsis: Five little kittens get bathed with Mama's tongue, enjoy breakfast, play and do their chores, have fish soup at lunchtime, and go to bed.

I Am the Cat
by Alice Schertle
Age Level: Preschool and up
Synopsis: A series of humorous and serious poems about cats.

More Songs for at Home

Daddy Wouldn't Buy For Me a Bow-Wow

Daddy wouldn't buy for me a bow-wow, bow-wow,
Daddy wouldn't buy for me a bow-wow-wow!
I've got a little cat,
I suppose I'm fond of that,
But I'd rather have a bow-wow-wow!

Then I asked my Daddy for a moo-cow, moo-cow,
Then I asked my Daddy for a moo-moo-cow!
But tho' she'd give us cream,
My request made Daddy scream,
So there won't be any moo-moo-cow!

Guess my Daddy won't get me a bow-wow, bow-wow,
Guess my Daddy won't get me a moo-moo-cow!
So with my little cat,
I will have to learn to chat,
Now all day I just say "Meow, meow, meow!"

Pussycat, Pussycat

Pussycat, pussycat,
Where have you been?
I've been to London
To visit the Queen.
Pussycat, pussycat,
What did you there?
I frightened a little mouse
Under her chair.

Little Cat

One little cat and two little cats
Went for a romp one day.

One little cat and two little cats
Make how many cats at play?

Three little cats had lots of fun
Till growing tired, away ran one.

I really think he was most unkind
To the two little cats
That were left behind!

Soft Kitty

Soft kitty, warm kitty
Little ball of fur
[Make fist of left hand for kitty.]
Lazy kitty, pretty kitty
"Purr, purr, purr."
[Pet kitty with right hand.]

Pussycat Creeping

Pussycat creeping and crawling along
[Right hand fingers creeping along.]
Little bird chirping and singing a happy little song
[Left hand sitting on left shoulder.]
Up jumps pussy, right into the tree.
[Right hand onto left shoulder.]
Away flies the bird so glad to be free.
[Left hand flies away.]

Tiptoe Soft
by Margaret Hillert

Tiptoe soft as a pussycat
Soft on little cat feet.
Flap your wings like a baby bird.
Open your beak for a treat.
Clomp, clomp, clomp like a big old horse.
Pick up a hoof, and then
Tip, tip tip on the tips of your toes
Soft as a cat again.

What Do They Say?
by Virginia Kroll

What does a dog say?
"Bow wow wow."

What does a cat say?
"Mew-meow, meow."

What does a dove say?
"Coo coo coo."

What does your mommy say?
"I love you!"

Kitty Cat

I have a kitty cat named Puff.
[Hold up one thumb.]
He's round and soft as a ball of fluff.
[Make a circle with both hands.]
Each day he laps up all his milk.
And his fur is soft as silk.
[Stroke thumb with other hand.]
When he's happy you will know,
For his fluffy tail swings to and fro.
[Swing little finger back and forth.]

Two Puppies

Two little puppy dogs
[Hold up two fingers.]
Lying fast asleep,
[Place head on hands.]
Soft and wooly,
All in a heap.

Along came a little kitten
[Tip-toe.]
Creeping near, "Meow",
She cried right in their ear,
[Cover ears.]
Two little puppy dogs
[Hold up two fingers.]
After one cat,
Did you ever play tag like that?

Two Little Kittens

Two little kittens found a ball of yarn,
[Make fist with two hands.]
As they were playing in the barn,
[Make roof over your head with hands.]
One little kitten jumped in the hay,
[Jump.]
And the other little kitten ran away!
[Run in place.]

Kitten is Hiding

A kitten is hiding under a chair
[Hide thumb under other hand.]
I looked and looked for her everywhere
[Peer around looking.]
Under the table and under the bed
[Pretend to look.]
I looked around the corner, and when I said,
Come here kitty kitty, there's milk for you
[Cup hands for a dish and extend.]
Kitty came running and calling, meow, meow
[Run fingers up arm.]

Five Little Kittens

Five little kittens standing in a row
[Hold up left hand, extend fingers, count.]
They nod their hands to the children so.
[Bend fingers forward.]
They run to the left, they run to the right.
[Wiggle fingers to the left, then to the right.]
They stand up and stretch in the bright sunlight
[Stretch fingers up slowly.]
Along comes a dog, who's in for some fun.
[Move right fist slowly towards stretching fingers.]
M-e-ow, see those kittens run.
[Run and hide left fingers behind your back.]

The Cat and the Bunny

Creeping, creeping, creeping
[Creep fingersup one arm.]
Comes the little cat
But bunny with his long ears
[Hop fingers up other arm.]
Hops like that!

The Owl and the Pussycat

I
The Owl and the Pussy-cat went to sea
In a beautiful pea green boat,
They took some honey, and plenty of money,
Wrapped up in a five pound note.
The Owl looked up to the stars above,
And sang to a small guitar,
'O lovely Pussy! O Pussy my love,
What a beautiful Pussy you are,
You are,
You are!
What a beautiful Pussy you are!'

II
Pussy said to the Owl, 'You elegant fowl!
How charmingly sweet you sing!
O let us be married! too long we have tarried:
But what shall we do for a ring?'
They sailed away, for a year and a day,
To the land where the Bong-tree grows
And there in a wood a Piggy-wig stood
With a ring at the end of his nose,
His nose,
His nose,
With a ring at the end of his nose.

III
'Dear pig, are you willing to sell for one shilling
Your ring?' Said the Piggy, 'I will.'
So they took it away, and were married next day
By the Turkey who lives on the hill.
They dined on mince, and slices of quince,
Which they ate with a runcible spoon;
And hand in hand, on the edge of the sand,
They danced by the light of the moon,
The moon,
The moon,
They danced by the light of the moon.

Available on Amazon.com

Available on
Amazon.com