About the Author
Raised in California, in the country--with no television and few movies to watch--three-time Newbery Honor winner Zilpha Keatley Snyder filled her childhood with animals, games, and books. Among her earliest acquaintances were cows, goats, ducks, chickens, rabbits, dogs, cats, and horses. In fact, her family's animals were her closest friends, and a nearby library was a constant source of magic, adventure, and excitement for her. And when she wasn't reading or playing with animals, Snyder made up games and stories to entertain herself.
While Zilpha Keatley Snyder was growing up, interesting stories filled her household. Both of her parents spent a lot of time relating accounts of past events in their lives, so Snyder came by her storytelling instincts early. But unlike her parents, when Zilpha had something to tell, she had, as she says, "an irresistible urge to make it worth telling. And without the rich and rather lengthy past that my parents had to draw on, I was forced to rely on the one commodity of which I had an adequate supply--imagination." Consequently, at the age of eight, Zilpha Keatley Snyder decided to become a writer.
As a student, Snyder was very proficient in reading and writing, and experienced few problems in the small country schools she attended until the end of sixth grade. But upon entering the seventh grade in the city of Ventura, she was, as she recalls, "suddenly a terrible misfit." Snyder retreated further into books and daydreams, and admits: "Book were the window from which I looked out of a rather meager and decidedly narrow room, onto a rich and wonderful universe. I loved the look and feel of them, even the smell. . . . Libraries were treasure houses. I always entered them with a slight thrill of disbelief that all their endless riches were mine for the borrowing."
Snyder attended Whittier College in Southern California, where she says she "grew physically and socially as well as intellectually." There she also met her future husband, Larry Snyder. While ultimately planning to be a writer, after graduation Snyder decided to teach school temporarily. But she found teaching to be an extremely rewarding experience and taught in the upper elementary grades for a total of nine years, three of them as a master teacher for the University of California at Berkeley. Zilpha and Larry were married in June of 1950, and went on to have three children, Melissa, Douglas, and Ben.
In the early sixties, when all of her children were finally in school, Snyder began to think about writing again. "Writing for children hadn't occurred to me when I was younger, but nine years of teaching in the upper elementary grades had given me a deep appreciation of the gifts and graces that are specific to individuals with ten or eleven years of experience as human begins. Remembering a dream I'd had when I was twelve years old, about some strange and wonderful horses, I sat down and began to write."
Season of Ponies, Zilpha Keatley Snyder's first book, was published in 1964. Her most recent novel, Gib Rides Home, follows an orphan boy who shows strength and courage as he endures harsh treatment during his five years at the orphanage before he finds a family of his own. Gib's story is a tribute to the memory of Snyder's father who grew up in an orphanage in Oklahoma.
Zilpha Keatley Snyder's three Newbery Honor books are: The Egypt Game, The Headless Cupid, and The Witches of Worm. Other books for Bantam Doubleday Dell are The Trespassers, an American Bookseller Pick of the List; Cat Running, a School Library Journal Best Book of the Year and winner of the 1995 John and Patricia Beatty Award; and her newest work, The Gypsy Game, companion to The Egypt Game.
Zilpha Keatley Snyder currently lives in Mill Valley, a small town near San Francisco. In her spare time, she loves reading and traveling, and of course, writing, which besides being her occupation has always been her favorite hobby.
Teacher Guide
ABOUT THIS BOOK
Cat Kinsey is the fastest runner at Brownwood School. Everyone expects her to win the sixth-grade girls' race as well as the Winners' Grand Finale. However, Fast Cat Kinsey's old-fashioned father will not allow her to wear slacks in the competition. Stubborn and determined to make a point to her father, angry Cat decides not to race at all. When Zane Perkins, a "dirty, barefooted Okie" wins the race, Cat is furious with herself and suffers ridicule from her classmates. Cat has always been warned to stay away from the "dust-bowl refugees," but she befriends Samantha, Zane's sister, and her attitude toward the Okie's situation changes. When there is an emergency in the Perkins family, Cat's ability to run could mean the difference between life and death.
ABOUT THIS AUTHOR
Raised in California, in the country--with no television and few movies to watch--three-time Newbery Honor winner Zilpha Keatley Snyder filled her childhood with animals, games, and books. Among her earliest acquaintances were cows, goats, ducks, chickens, rabbits, dogs, cats, and horses. In fact, her family's animals were her closest friends, and a nearby library was a constant source of magic, adventure, and excitement for her. And when she wasn't reading or playing with animals, Snyder made up games and stories to entertain herself.
While Zilpha Keatley Snyder was growing up, interesting stories filled her household. Both of her parents spent a lot of time relating accounts of past events in their lives, so Snyder came by her storytelling instincts early. But unlike her parents, when Zilpha had something to tell, she had, as she says, "an irresistible urge to make it worth telling. And without the rich and rather lengthy past that my parents had to draw on, I was forced to rely on the one commodity of which I had an adequate supply--imagination." Consequently, at the age of eight, Zilpha Keatley Snyder decided to become a writer.
TEACHING IDEAS
The topics of Women's Rights and the Great Depression make Cat Running a good choice for linking the language arts and social studies curricula. In addition, the subject of Track and Field offers a connection between reading, math, and the physical education programs in schools. Students will be drawn to this powerful story of a girl who learns a great deal about herself and in the process influences those around her.
Pre-Reading Activity
Ask students to describe how they would feel if a parent refused to let them buy or wear a popular fashion of today. Have students prepare and role-play an argument during which they try to change a parent's mind. Then have the role players reverse roles, giving each student the opportunity to play both parent and child.
Thematic Connections
Prejudice
Suggest that students find examples of prejudice in the novel. Which characters are guilty of making prejudicial remarks? In what ways do Zane and his brother Spence deal differently with the prejudice that they face? Compare the prejudice in this story with that in today's world. Have students write a letter to their principal, justifying the need for a course on multicultural appreciation, if one is not currently available.
Friendship
Ask students to consider the following questions regarding Cat's friendship with Samantha: Why does Cat want to give Lillybelle to Sammy? Why is the doll such a special gift? How does Zane react to Cat's desire to give Lillybelle to Sammy? Why is his reaction surprising to Cat?
Self-Discovery
At the end of the novel, Zane and Cat say good-bye and tell each other to "keep on running" (page 168). How has their relationship changed from the way it was at the beginning of the novel? How do they gain respect for each other? Ask students to think about what Cat and Zane learn from each other. How does their relationship change the way they see themselves? How will they continue to move forward or run?
Emotions
Cat is very angry with Zane Perkins for running in the race (pages 55-56). How does she deal with anger and frustration? Have students list ways that they deal with anger and disappointment. Then ask them to develop a series of posters titled Coping with Anger and Stress.
Poverty
Ask students to identify several hints in the novel that indicate Cat's family is suffering from the Great Depression. Ask them to think about why Cat never notices these signs. Why is Zane Perkins able to see the signs so clearly? Is Cat's father's refusal to buy her slacks based on finances or religion? How does the Depression affect other families and individuals in the story?
Cat's brother, Cliff, decides to tell Cat about her family's financial situation. Why is Cat relieved to hear the truth? Ask students to consider the reasons why Cat's father hides the truth about finances from her. How does Cliff's revelation change the way Cat views her father?
Interdisciplinary Connections
Language Arts
Ask the class to discuss why Cat decides not to run in the race. How does she feel when Zane Perkins wins? Assume that past winners traditionally award a trophy at an awards ceremony at the end of the school year. Have students write a speech that Cat might make while honoring Zane with the award.
Invite students to write an editorial that Cat might write on the topic of the right of women and girls to wear slacks in public.
Social Studies
The Perkins family are dust-bowl refugees. Using reference materials, find out what the dust bowl was and how it affected the land and farms. Locate on a map of the United States the areas comprising the dust bowl. What did the United States Government do to help families affected by the dust bowl?
Cat Running takes place in the 1930s during the Great Depression. Have students research and list several causes of or factors contributing to the Depression. Herbert Hoover was blamed for creating the Depression, and Franklin D. Roosevelt is credited for helping the nation recover from it. Find out what social programs were started during the Roosevelt Administration and discuss how those programs helped people like the Kinsey family, as well as displaced farmers like the Perkins family.
Physical Education
The sport of track and field includes events other than running (for example, the discus throw). In an almanac, find out what other events make up the track and field competition for the Olympic Games. Select one of these events and research the training requirements.
Cat Kinsey is the fastest runner at Brownwood School, faster than even the boys. Research famous female runners (for example, Jackie Joyner-Kersee and Wilma Rudolph). What awards have these women won? What goals have they accomplished?
Math
Using an almanac, have students list the female runners who have received gold medals in the Olympics. Ask them to calculate what percentage of these women are from the United States.
Teaching Ideas prepared by Alonda Rollison, English Teacher, Greenville Middle School, Greenville, SC.
VOCABULARY
Cat displays anger, frustration and disappointment at the beginning of the novel. Ask students to find synonyms and antonyms for these words. Then have them write sentences using the new words, making Cat the subject of each sentence.
AWARDS
A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year
Winner of the John & Patricia Beatty Award
REVIEWS
"Seen through Cat's eyes, this story is both appealing and informative. . . . The characters are well drawn and beautifully motivated. . . . A compelling addition to Snyder's superb body of work." Starred, School Library Journal
"This tender historical novel is as moving as it is insightful." Starred, Publishers Weekly
"Snyder's setting and characters are beautifully realized. The moving conclusion is tempered with a bracing reality." Pointer, Kirkus Reviews
Author Q&A
author fun factsBorn: May 11 in Lemoore, California
Education: B.A. from Whittier College in Southern California
Residence: Mill Valley, California
Previous job: Schoolteacher in the upper elementary grades for nine years
Pet: A silky terrier, a 12-pound student of human nature
Favorite hobbies: reading, writing, traveling
Favorite foods: bread, cheese, fruit
Favorite clothes to wear: warm and baggy clothes
Favorite colors: red, white, lavender
Favorite books: too many to name
From the Hardcover edition.