Lost and Found Cat: The True Story of Kunkush's Incredible Journey

Lost and Found Cat: The True Story of Kunkush’s Incredible Journey by Doug Kuntz and Amy Shrodes

Illustrated by Sue Cornelison

This story provides a kid-friendly explanation of an Iraq family who fled their home in 2015.  The story describes the hardships the family faces in leaving behind their home and accidentally losing their beloved family cat while in route to their safe home in Norway.  

In this story, a young girl describes the struggles of leaving a homeland in fear and losing a treasured pet along the way.  The story reflects elements of kindness and helpfulness to strangers in distress as well as the love we have for our pets and family.  

This story will be very interesting and engaging to students.  The author uses elements of nonfiction including real family photos, maps of the journey, and has great description for the love of pets that many children can connect to.  They author also uses great description of despair and the reality of decision making that immigrants may feel when being forced to leave their homes and move to a safer place to live.

I would recommend this book to read aloud in classrooms in which students are beginning to understand immigration. It helps students understand the feelings and hardships that may not be considered when traveling to a new place to live.  It also helps students develop an understanding of the time and process of the journey families may have to endure. It allows students to develop a sense of empathy and think about actions that will welcome newcomers to their school or community.

Links: Short video to support students as they build background knowledge prior to reading the text.  The video includes real photos of the family pet, family, and maps that show students the journey the family took in finding a safe place to live. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=05K-YUezBKA