Puss in Boots

114 W. Broad Street • Richmond, VA 23220

Toll free (800) 235 - 8687 Based on the French fairy tale by Charles Perrault
Book by Douglas Jones, music and lyrics by Ron Barnett
Virginia SOLs
The classic story of Puss in Boots is about a poor miller and his three sons.
Puss in Boots is presented in support
When the miller dies, he leaves his oldest son his mill, his middle son his
of the following Virginia Standards
of Learning in English: K.1, 1.1, 2.3, donkey, and his youngest son his cat.
2.8, 3.1, 3.6, 4.4, 4.5, 5.5, 5.6.

Activities in this guide support

K-5 curriculum objectives.
As you may imagine, the young son now feels more poor than ever, having

only a cat. The cat tells him not to worry, but to provide him with a sack

Special Thanks... and a pair of boots. If the young man does this, the cat promises he will be

more valuable to him than he imagines.

Theatre IV would like to thank
its major supporters:
• The National Endowment for the Arts
Having nothing to lose, the young
• the Virginia Commission for the Arts
• the Cincinnati Institute of Fine Arts man gives the cat a pair of boots
• Ohio Arts Council
and a sack. The cat uses these to

Theatre IV... catch rabbits and quail to give to

Bruce Miller
the King. This is just part of the
Artistic Director cat’s plan.

Philip J. Whiteway
Managing Director
The cat uses his ingenuity to arrange a “chance” meeting between the King,
Tammy Shackelford the Princess, and the young man. He fools the King and Princess into think-
Education Director
ing the young man is actually the Marquis of Carabas (a name the cat made
Written by Heather Widener, MAT
Designed by Kate Carpenter up). After some more trickery involving an ogre and some farmers, the cat

has the King convinced that the Marquis of Carabas is a perfect match for
Classroom Connections study guide and the text his daughter, and they are married.
contained herein are the property of Theatre IV.
Photocopying of the study guide is permitted. Any other use
of the contents must be accompanied by the phrase: “Text
used with permission from Theatre IV - Richmond, VA.”
 Branch Out!
If you enjoyed Puss in Boots,
check out these feline friendly
stories at your local library:
Put Yourself in
Puss’ Boots
In Puss in Boots, Charles Perrault uses personification. In other words,
he gives Puss, the cat, human abilities and traits.

Cat O’Nine Tales,

In what ways is Puss a regular cat? In what ways is
by Louis Untermeyer
he like a person? Fill in the boxes below with your
Kitten Caboodle; a Collection of ideas.
Feline Fiction,
by Barbara Silverberg

Once Upon a Cat, Cat-like Human-like

by L. Savryn

Puss in Boots,
by Charles Perrault

Puss in Cowboy Boots,

by Jan Huling

Check out the J398.2 section of

your local library for more
adaptations of Puss in Boots.

Log On!

Try the Community Learning

Network at
www.cln.org/themes/fairy-
tales.html to learn more about
fairy tales from all over the
world, animal myths and leg-
ends, stories by famous authors
such as Hans Christian
Andersen and the Grimm
Brothers, tall tales, folklore,
and more! Cats are unique creatures! To find out some fascinating cat facts,
log on to www.cats.org.uk/catfacts.html
The Life of a Crafty Cat
The following events occurred in Puss
in Boots. Put them in order on the
timeline, then illustrate your favorite
event on a separate piece of paper.
• The young man marries the princess.
• The old miller dies.
• The oldest brother inherits the mill.
• The cat asks for a sack.
• The young man meets the King.
• The cat takes a rabbit to the King.
I liked Puss in Boots because
________________________________
________________________________
My favorite part was
________________________________
________________________________
I didn’t like the part when
________________________________
________________________________
The character I like the best
was___________________________
because_______________________
________________________________
1
2
3
4
5
6
7 They lived happily ever after.
The character I didn’t like
Critic’s
at all was__________________
because_____________________
Corner
______________________________ A review tells what you
Overall, I think the play liked or didn’t like about a
Puss in Boots was play, a book or a movie.
______________________________
______________________________
In the notebook on
______________________________
______________________________ the left, write your
______________________________ own review of the
______________________________ play, Puss In Boots.
______________________________
 Did You Know?

Now Read This

Charles Perrault (1628-1703) was a

After seeing the play, read Puss in Boots by Charles Perrault. member of the French Academy and

a leading intellectual of his time.

Compare the characters, setting, and events in
the book to the play. What is the same and His narratives are part of a story-
what is different between the book and the
telling tradition that has been shared
play. Use the diagram below to keep track of
your observations. for years. Charles Perrault did not

invent his tales – even in his day

The book their plots were well known.

Perrault was successful for choosing

his stories well and recording them

with style.

Match the highlighted

words above with the

definitions below:

• To make up or create.

• A person considered smart and

scholarly.

• The action and events that take

place in a story.

• Stories or tales.

The play