![\"Clever](\"http:\/\/blog.richmond.edu\/openwidelookinside\/files\/2010\/02\/clever-cat-image.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nHave you ever wondered if your dog or cat is smarter than he or she lets on?\u00a0 Clever Cat<\/a>, written and illustrated by Peter Collington<\/a>, takes readers into the mind of the average household pet.\u00a0 Quite fed up with waiting to be fed each and every day, Tibs (a cat) climbs up on the counter opens a can of cat food and feeds himself to the astonishment of the family who owns him.\u00a0 Delighted with her very clever cat, Mrs. Ford gives him a key to the house and eventually her cash card. “‘I forgot to pick you up some cat food,’ she said. ‘Do you think you can take out some cash and buy yourself some dinner?’” Before long, Tibs is eating in restaurants, shopping, and going to the movies.\u00a0 No longer willing to simply provide for the cat’s keep, Mr. and Mrs. Ford take back the cash card and tell Tibs to get a job. “‘We need to talk,’ said Mr. Ford. ‘You’re a very clever cat, but a very expensive one to keep.\u00a0 You’re going to have to help out with the bills.’” It doesn’t take Tibs long to discover that earning his keep is hard work and not nearly as much fun as playing dumb and waiting to be fed.\u00a0 Taking his cues from other cats on the street, Tibs forgets how to feed himself as quickly as he learned and eventually Mrs. Ford breaks down and feeds Tibs herself.\u00a0 A satisfied Tibs curls up in the sun next to the other cats in the neighborhood who wink “at each other as if to say, ‘Finally, a clever cat.’”<\/p>\n Curriculum Connections<\/strong><\/p>\n Clever Cat<\/em> is a fantastic children’s book\u00a0 for introducing a number of general principles of economics: economic choice, scarcity, opportunity cost, human resources, and the use of money.\u00a0 Kindergartners through third graders will appreciate Tibs’ struggle to take control of his own life, his joy in spending money freely, and the painful lesson that nothing in life is free.\u00a0 Cash cards can feel like magic to children (much the way that Mrs. Ford’s cash card feels to Tibs) but the lesson that the Fords ultimately teach, helps to explain that cash cards are just another form of money that has to be earned and used in exchange for goods and services (2.8).\u00a0 Teachers can use the book to talk about the choices that Tibs has to make once the Ford’s force him to get a job and relate that to the choices that people make when resources are scarce (K.7, 1.8, 2.9, 3.9).\u00a0 In addition, Tibs’ short time as a waiter provides an opportunity to talk about human resources and the role that workers play in bringing products and services to consumers (2.7).\u00a0 The illustrations are a perfect counterpoint to the story and help to build students’ background knowledge about ATM machines, financial transactions for goods and services, and the work and effort involved with holding down a job. While the breadth of the book lends itself to all of the topics above, a lesson that includes all of the above topics would probably be overwhelming for an introductory lesson.\u00a0 As a result, it is recommended that teachers select one or possibly two of the concepts listed to focus their lesson.<\/p>\n Additional Resources<\/strong>
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