Tally Cat Keeps Track

Tally Cat Keeps Track by Trudy Harris Illustrated by Andrew N. Harris

Overview: Tally Cat likes to keep track of who is the tallest, smartest and wettest, he keeps track of it all day by scratching tallies on the wall. Somehow, Tally Cat always wins but when he is in trouble his friends come together to help him and he finally admits to the truth. 

At the end of the book you can find a mini-math-lesson on what tallies are, how we count with them and how they can be used for different things.

Target Audience: Students who love math, cats or a good lesson on friendship.

Reading Level (according to Amazon.com):

Age Range 5 and up

Lexile Measure 570L

Overall Rating 28/28 (based on rubric posted above)
-I decided not to rate the book on diversity because all the characters in the book are cats. Also, there was an equal amount of male and female cats.
-I rated the book 4/4 in critical thinking because it had a good lesson to teach students about cheating (something most can relate to) and adds a mini-math-lesson at the end of the book.

Literary Elements:
-rhyming
-onomatopoeia
-personification

 Harris, T., & Harris, A. (2011). Tally Cat Keeps Track. Minneapolis: Millbrook Press.