I AM THE BOSS OF THIS CHAIR by Carolyn Crimi & Marisa Morea – A story about making rules and learning to share

I was surprised at how much my students liked this book!  

Summary from Amazon:

Oswald Minklehoff Honey Bunny III has always been top cat. Then Pom Pom the kitten comes along and suddenly Oswald isn’t the boss of everything anymore—not the toilet paper, food dish, back door, toy mouse, or even his own special chair. Will Oswald realize that life is more fun when you have a friend—and that, really, there’s plenty of room on the chair to share? A fun picture book with a comforting message for any kid with a new sibling.

I Am the Boss of This Chair was written by Carolyn Crimi and illustrated by Marisa Morea. It was published in 2018 by Sterling Children’s Books.

Opening:    

 

I, Oswald Minklehoff Honey Bunny III, am the boss of this chair.

You may look at it, and you may walk by it, but you may not sit in it.

My Thoughts as a Writer:

The theme of bossiness is very clear from the very first line, but the story doesn’t come across as didactic. The cat characters and use of exaggeration make this a fun read! Because the characters are cats, they can get away with a lot of naughtiness. I especially liked the ending, because it seemed realistic and I think it would be comforting to a child.

My Thoughts as an Educator:

Children can easily relate to this book. In a classroom setting, there are often some students who attempt to “make rules” for other students about play. This book provides a great opportunity to discuss some ways to be kind and to talk about one of the key principles in preschool and kindergarten – sharing! It is also a fun way to help children explore their feelings about siblings (new or ones that were already there when they arrived).

Ages: 3-7

Grades: PreK – 2

Themes: bossiness, sharing, cats

Activities:

Predict: What would happen if a third cat came along and wanted to use the chair? Draw or write about what might happen.

STEAM: Can you build a new chair for the cats?

Think like an illustrator: Look closely at how the illustrator made the cats in the illustrations. How did she create the cat faces? Their fur? Using pastels, paints and black marker, create your cat character. Or try creating a character for a different animal!

Discuss: What can you do if someone is bossy? Have you ever been bossy yourself? Are there some things that belong to you that you don’t want to share?