Abigail the GrouchCat
The Parties
The Setting: Abigail the GrouchCat lives on a farm with TubbyDog
and Barney BarnCat. The farm is in Roxana, which is in Delaware, which
is in the United States. You probably can't find Roxana on a map, but I'll
bet you can find the United States and Delaware. Find the Atlantic Ocean
and find Maryland. Just above where Maryland, Delaware and the Atlantic
Ocean meet, is where our play begins.
By the way, Roxana used to be called "Dog's Ear Corner," but
I don't know why. Can you guess?
Characters
Abigail the GrouchCat: gray and white with a fluffy tail, very small,
very bossy
TubbyDog: easy going, loves to licks cats and people, part collie, part
German shepherd, part husky, part everything. Loves to eat cat food which
is very fattening.
Barney BarnCat: calico cat, was a stray who wandered in to Abigail the
GrouchCat's barn and then house.
The Parties
Abigail and TubbyDog are talking. Barney BarnCat is out in the field
counting moles. That is her job. She counts how many moles pass by each
day in the mole runs. It is a very hard job. Barney BarnCat is good at
it because she has lots of patience and she knows all the local moles.
Abigail the GrouchCat:
I think I'll have a party.
TubbyDog: (tries to lick Abigail's face)
Abigail the GrouchCat: (wipes off the lick with her paw)
Yuck! Why do you do that all the time?
TubbyDog:
I love parties, especially the food. We can play ball and frisbee, too.
I think you are very nice. I'll clean your ears now.
Abigail the GrouchCat:
My ears are clean. Stay away!
TubbyDog:
We can have tuna fish because Barney loves that and so do we.
Abigail the GrouchCat: (Whispering)
Barney BarnCat is not invited. She'll never know I'm having a party,
and I don't care if she knows anyway.
TubbyDog:
That's not nice! Abby. Barney BarnCat will be upset.
Abigail the GrouchCat:
She can't come anyway. She is too busy counting moles.
TubbyDog:
Maybe she could bring a mole to the party. They smell so good. I wonder
what they like to eat. I love to rub up against them and smell just like
a mole.
Abigail the GrouchCat:
Moles eat grubs, and moles stink. Don't you know anything? If you don't
get a bath and a perfume rinse before the party, I will uninvite you, TubbyDog!
(Barney BarnCat enters the room.)
Barney BarnCat:
Hi everyone, slow day. I only heard three moles go by. What's up?
TubbyDog:
Abby is planning a party. Oops!
Abigail the GrouchCat:
(to TubbyDog)
TUBBYDOG!
(to Barney BarnCat) TubbyDog is so silly. Of course, I'm not planning
a party. Why would I do something like that?
Barney BarnCat:
Because you like parties, but nobody ever comes to your parties. I would
like to be invited, and I'd come.
Abigail the GrouchCat:
Nobody comes because I don't invite anybody. TubbyDog can come to my
next party if she goes to the groomer and gets fixed up. You will be counting
moles
Barney BarnCat:
I think TubbyDog is pretty, and I can take a day off from counting moles.
TubbyDog:
Thank you. (TubbyDog smiles and says to Barney BarnCat.)
Abigail the GrouchCat:
(to Barney BarnCat) I have decided NOT to have a party.
(whispers to TubbyDog) I just told Barney BarnCat that so she wouldn't
bother us. We don't want her at our party. Get cleaned up and come tomorrow
at 2 PM.
Barney BarnCat:
I'm having a big party for all the moles tomorrow afternoon. You both
are invited and so is Milo, the WonderDog. It'll be a Mole Merry Madness
Party. We will sing mole songs and eat grubs and roll around getting dirty
and laugh and laugh.
Abigail the Grouch:
I'm sorry. TubbyDog and I are busy. (whispers to TubbyDog) And too clean.
TubbyDog: (whispers to Abby)
Let's go to the Mole Party. Then you can make some friends. You don't
have any friends but me, and I don't like you when you are grouchy which
is most of the time. You can get dirty and have fun and then we can all
go to the groomers to get pretty and perfumed.
Barney BarnCat:
Stop whispering. Whispering is not good manners.
(Abigail puts her tail between her legs and runs out of the room.)
TubbyDog:
I'll try to bring Abigail to Mole Merry Madness. I think she really
wants some friends but doesn't know how to be nice and have fun.
Activities:
- Draw pictures on the computer of the animals. Find their descriptions
above.
- Plan the Mole Merry Madness Party. What will the animals do? What will
they eat? Make invitations to the party on your computer. Maybe you and
your friends would like to have a Mole Merry Madness Party. (You don't
need to invite the moles, for they probably wouldn't come anyway.) Ask
your parents for permission to have the party before planning it.
- Will Abigail the GrouchCat come to the party? If she comes will she
have fun? Would she be afraid to come to the party? Why do you think Abigail
is grouchy lots of the time? What could Abigail do to be happier?
- How is TubbyDog trying to help Abby?
- How do you think Barney BarnCat feels when she is not invited to parties?
- Write some moles songs for the party.
- Write your own script for the next day. Be sure to make lots of parts
for the moles so more of your friends can be in the play. You might want
to add your own pets to the script.
- Do a computer story with pictures of the animals at the groomers getting
pretty and perfumed. Do you think TubbyDog likes to be perfumed? :^)
- What good manners did you learn from this play?
- Make programs for the play.
- Present the play.
- Write some more plays to present to your family and friends-and maybe
your class at school.
