Book description A Tale of Two Tails, The Adventures of Ben and Bel tells the lively tales of two finicky, devious, thoroughbred Siamese cats, who demand to be treated like the royal cats of Siam. The court cats were treated like gods, with servants to tend them. Ben and Bel believe that they are descended from these royal cats, so are entitled to be treated as such. Ben and Bel have methods to ensure that their every want, whim and need is taken care of in a courtly fashion, using blatant or subtle tactics. Have you ever been scolded by a cat, felt it a privilege to live with a cat, or ignored by a cat? It can be a very humbling experience. Welcome to "A Tale of Two Tails, The Adventures of Ben and Bel." The book begins with a history of Siam, the history of the Siamese cat and it's traits. Cat words including: cat burglar, cat door, cat-aclysm, cat-acomb, cat-apult, cat-atonic, catbird seat, catwalk, cat call, caterwaul, catnap and medi-cat entitle each chapter. The word is defined then the tale about the antics of Ben and Bel unfolds. Watercolors and pen and ink drawings depict the tale being told. A series of photos show Ben and Bel acting out each of the words. Since readers learn best when enjoying the material, the book captures their attention giving them defined words and illustrating how they are used in each tale. The dictionary is a great friend in reading and writing. So get caught up in the antics of these funny, frustrating, fearsome, finicky felines. Welcome to "A Tale of Two Tails, The Adventures of Ben and Bel".
About the Author: Elizabeth Cygan and her family have always had cats, including barn cats, rescue cats, thoroughbred cats, cats that adopted them and cats of unknown parentage. The felines did their job to catch pests, while the Cygans fed, housed and tended to their needs. It was a fair exchange. But Ben and Bel, were devious, demanding and able through unsubtle means to get their own way. So life was the complete opposite from their other cat experiences. Elizabeth has graduate degrees in psychology, education, and history. Her undergraduate work was in history, English and education. She was a special needs teacher, psychologist and counselor in the education field. She writes a column for a newspaper and has been published in various educational magazines. The National Education Association wrote up her ESL program. She has written on teaching people with distraction difficulties for ESL Magazine. She has travelled around the United States, Canada and Europe by train. She is married, has two sons, two grandchildren and Ben and Bel. He hobbies include reading, writing, music and attending plays.