Casey and Dash
Casey, a tuxedo cat and Dash, a Boston Terrier, live several streets over and both of their homes back onto a forest. Both end up escaping their homes and yards to wander in the forest and eventually end up exploring the beach. Both end up falling asleep in the same driftwood fort. When the tide rises the two animals end up meeting. Remarkably although they are different species, they look extremely similar yet their behaviour is very different. One is playful while the other is scared. Dash ends up nudging Casey out of the fort, directing her to safety on a park bench while they wait for their owners. It is a story that celebrates two unlikely species getting along.
Available at:
The front cover of Casey and Dash
Inspiration for the Story
This story was inspired by my Boston Terrier grand dog, Torsha and my dear friend Leslie’s tuxedo cat. Over the past couple of years with all our facetime calls, I couldn’t help but notice how similar our two pets look, yet their behaviour is so different. This brought me to dig a bit deeper to see if cats and dogs do get along and compare their behaviour.
The back cover of Casey and Dash
About the Illustrator
In my earnest desire to encourage others to engage in creativity and to role model the process, I decided to illustrate the story. Initially, I was going to do the drawings in black and white and only colour the flowers and plants that reflected the season. As the drawings unfolded, I realized that colouring them would be preferable. My hope was to capture the difference in behaviour between the two animals, namely, one being active and more overly playful while the other is more reserved.
Guide for Reading: PRC
Predictions, Reflections and Connections
Predictions
Predicting is an essential tool when developing as a strong reader. This story has been written to hook the young audience in engaging in predictable events.
Reflections
Reflecting throughout a book makes the story extra personal and come alive. It reflects a reader’s level of comprehension. A more thoughtful and complex reflection and connection reveal a higher understanding of the story. They also help reinforce one’s memory sequence which forms the basis of a retelling with more detail and reference to nuance. A simple and literal retelling reflects a more simplistic understanding.
Connections
Making connections facilitates a deeper understanding of a story through making inferences, noting details and relating them to prior information. It is seeing, linking, and articulating other topics and events to the story. The reader is applying this reading experience to other learned information. Often when making connections the reader will arrive at exciting new insights that extend beyond the literal story.
Additional Resources
Boston Terrier
The Difference in Perspective Between Cats and Dogs
Cats and dogs are often seen to be behavioural opposites and adversaries. Although they do perceive the world differently, and often tense interaction is observed between these two common pets, the friendly interchange between cats and dogs has been witnessed by many pet owners.