The Truck Cat Different Perspectives: National Simultaneous Storytime Activity is a creative writing task designed to deepen students’ understanding of character development and narrative voice. As a companion to The Truck Cat by Deborah Frenkel and Danny Snell, this engaging activity invites students to retell key events from the story through the eyes of different characters—exploring how perspective influences interpretation and emotional response.

Using a structured narrative writing format, students will revisit three significant moments from the book and write about each from the viewpoint of Tinka, Yacoub and Mari. Writing in the first person, they’ll consider how each character’s unique personality, background and relationships shape their reactions to the same event. This approach encourages empathy, reflection and deeper engagement with the text.

• The three events explored in this task include:
• Tinka gets lost: Students reflect on Tinka’s fear on the busy road, Yacoub’s panic when he notices Tinka is missing, and Mari’s calmness in helping bring him to safety.
• Yacoub finds Tinka: Students explore Tinka’s joy, Yacoub’s relief, and Mari’s feelings as she witnesses the reunion.
• Mari and Yacoub have a baby: Students infer the emotions around the arrival of Mari’s baby—an event not described in words but shown through the illustrations at the end of the book.

This task challenges students to move beyond plot and into character-driven thinking, making it ideal for building narrative writing skills, comprehension, and point-of-view awareness. Templates are provided in 12mm and 9mm line widths to support differentiation and varying student needs.

Key Learning Outcomes:

• ✅ Write from multiple first-person perspectives based on narrative events
• ✅ Explore how character traits and experiences influence interpretation
• ✅ Strengthen comprehension through point-of-view retelling
• ✅ Develop empathy and narrative awareness through reflective writing

What’s Included:

• Narrative writing templates for three key story moments
• Prompt questions for each character’s perspective
• Templates in 12mm and 9mm line widths

Materials Needed:

• Printed templates
• Pencils or pens
• Copy of The Truck Cat for reference and discussion

How to Use:

• Read The Truck Cat as a class, pausing to discuss key emotional moments.
• Introduce the concept of point of view and model a shared writing example.
• Assign students one or more characters to write from for each event.
• Encourage use of quotes or story references to support their writing.
• Use follow-up discussion to compare how different perspectives shape understanding.

Ideas for Classroom Use:

• 💡 Use during a narrative writing unit to explore voice and perspective
• 💡 Pair with character analysis activities to deepen understanding
• 💡 Create a class anthology of “The Truck Cat Through Our Eyes”
• 💡 Use in conjunction with the other resources in our The Truck Cat: Book PACKAGE

Top Teacher Tips:

• 💛 Display character trait charts to support vocabulary and voice
• 💛 Encourage oral storytelling or drama before writing to develop empathy
• 💛 Extend by having students respond to each other’s writing in role

The Truck Cat Different Perspectives: National Simultaneous Storytime Activity is a meaningful way to help students explore narrative voice and build character awareness while developing empathy and expressive writing skills.