Dear Parents and Guardians:

I hope your family is enjoying these summer days. Ranger Rick Jr. has lots of things to share while reading with your child. This month let’s use the article about cougars on pages 6–11 to help your child improve his or her reading comprehension skills.

Cougar, Panther, Mountain Lion, or Puma

Fact #1 on page 6 says these large cats are known by many different names. Whatever you call them, the cubs are cute and love their mother as shown in this picture from page 10.

After you read each fact ask your child a question. Here are some examples along with possible answers.

#2    Where do cougars live? (forests, mountains, or deserts)
#3    Are cougar stronger than house cats? (yes, they are much larger and very powerful)
#4    Do cougars make noise when stalking a prey? (no, they walk very silently)
#5    How far can cougars jump? (the length of a bus or two cars)
#6    What physical feature helps a cougar climb trees? (sharp claws)
#7    A baby cougar is called a cub. What are baby house cats called? (kittens)
#8    Do adult cougars have spotted coats? (no, they fade a few months after a cub is born)
#9    How long do cougar cubs stay with their moms? (about 2 years)
#10  Why do cubs have to learn to hunt? (they have to get their own food after leaving their mother)

After reading other parts of Ranger Rick Jr., go back to pages 6–11 and ask your child to tell you what he or she has learned about cougars.

Have a wonderful summer!

Mike Wilson, Founder
Prekindergarten Reading Encouragement Project
PREP – Helping childhood literacy one family at a time.
facebook.com/PREPDelaware