Lois Letchford Reads "Diary of the Killer Cat" Part 1 |Remastered

26 Apr 2022 · 2 min

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2:28

In this remastered YouTube reading, Lois Letchford—author of Reversed: A Memoir and self‑described literacy problem‑solver—introduces a chapter from Diary of the Killer Cat. She explains her goal of bringing books to life for her students and promoting reading as the best activity. She then reads a first‑person diary entry narrated by the cat Tuffy, who humorously recounts accidentally killing a bird, the chaotic reaction of the cat’s owner Ellie, and the messy aftermath. The passage blends playful language with a subtle lesson about unintended consequences, illustrating how a simple story can engage young readers.

Chapters

Hello, I am Lois Letchford, author of the book Reversed: A Memoir, and I consider myself a literacy problem solver. And this week I'm going to read to you the book Diary of the Killer Cat, chapter by chapter. My goal in reading is to bring books To life and show my students that reading is the best activity in the world. As it's a diary, it starts on Monday. Okay, okay, so hang me! I killed the bird. For pity's sake, I'm a cat! It's practically my job to go creeping around the garden after sweet little eensy-weensy birdie pies that can hardly fly from one hedge to another. So what am I supposed to do when one of the poor feathery little flutterballs just about throws itself into my mouth? I mean, it practically landed on my paws. It could have hurt me. Okay, okay, so I slugged it. Is that any reason for Ellie to cry in my fur so hard I almost drowned and squeeze me so hard I almost choke? She says, all smiles and red eyes and piles of wet tissues, oh, Tuffy, how could you do that? How could I do that? I'm a cat! How did I know there was going to be such a giant great fuss, with Ellie's mother rushing off to fetch sheets of old newspaper and Ellie's father filling a bucket with with soapy water. Okay, okay, so maybe I shouldn't have dragged it in and left it on the carpet, and maybe the stains won't come out ever. So hang me.