Jane Cadwallader

Uncle Jackand the MeerkatsIllustrated by Gustavo Mazali

Young Readers

3

Uncle Jack was reading a book in the garden. Jim and his sisters, Daisy and May, were playing with a ball. Grumpy the dog

began to bark. He wanted to show them something. ‘What’s the matter Grumpy?’ asked Daisy.

2

2 Uncle Jack, Grumpy, Jim, Daisy and May looked into the next door garden. They saw two meerkats in a cage. They were baby meerkats and they were crying! ‘Hm. Let’s go and talk to Mr Smith,’ said Uncle Jack.

Uncle Jack and the children went to see Mr Smith who lived next door. Mr Smith said sadly, ‘I bought the meerkats in a pet shop but they never stop crying!’ ‘Perhaps they have a toothache or a stomach-ache,’ said Jim.

54

‘No,’ said Uncle Jack. ‘I don’t think so. Meerkats have very strong family feelings. I think they are crying for their mothers and fathers.’ ‘Oh no!’ said Daisy and May.

Jim pointed to the cage, ‘Look!’ he said, “Witdraai, Kalahari Desert, South Africa”. It’s their address! They come from the Kalahari Desert!’ ‘Hm. I think you’re right,’ said Uncle Jack. He looked at Mr Smith. ‘Shall we take them home?’ he asked. ‘Oh, yes, please!’ answered Mr Smith. ‘YES!’ shouted the twins.

76

The next day Uncle Jack put the things in the hot-air balloon. He put in some food and some blankets (it can be very cold in the desert at night). Jim went to get the meerkats but … they weren’t there! ‘We must go and look for them,’ said Daisy and May.

Jim looked in the bus station. Daisy looked in the café. May looked in the cinema. But they couldn’t find the meerkats (can you?).

Uncle Jack, Mr Smith, Jim, the twins and Grumpy looked for the meerkats all over the town. Uncle Jack looked in the gym. Mr Smith looked in the bank.

98

LibraryCinema

Joe’sCafé

SupermarketBus Station

GYM

City Bank

Match the speech bubble to the character.

Find the words. Fill the gaps in the song.3

4

Who are the characters in the story?

Fill the gaps to tell the story.

Activity Pages

1

2

2928

Uncle Jack and the children went in the _________ _________ to look for the _________ of the _________. When they were in the Kalahari _________ some _________ arrived in a _________. They put the meerkats into _________. Suddenly some _________ arrived too! Uncle Jack rescued the men but first they promised never to catch _________ again.

hot-air

lerriuqs tresed

balloon

I’m not a __________ or a __________.I’m certainly not a horrible __________!I’m a __________ and I love to __________

In the __________ all the long __________.

Flap your __________ all __________.Tap your __________ on the __________.Come with me. Be a __________ and __________

In the __________ all the long __________.

WOOOOF!I bought the meerkats in a pet shop.

Meerkats are wild animals.

It’s their address!

_______ ________

from the lorry.

_______

and the twins.

_______ _______ from next door.

The six _______.

_______

the dog.

_______

_______.

The men

meerkatshot-air balloon

meerkats cagesfamilies

desertmen lions

lorry

teef yalp

takreem

takreem

tar

smra

yad

yad

tac

tresed

dnuora

yalp dnuorg

squirrel

1

4

2

5

3

6

________

Use the characters from Activity 1, the past verbs from Activity 5 and the words in the boxes to make sentences.

7Write the words. Match the words with the pictures and the past forms.

Write the verbs from Activity 5 in the right column.Regular past verbs Irregular past verbs

5

6

3130

Fill the gaps with next, over, between, inside or in.

1 Mr Smith lived ______ door to Uncle Jack.2 ________ the pet shop there were four baby meerkats.3 The lions were ________ the men and their lorry.4 The balloon flew ________ forests and seas.5 Jim and the twins carried the meerkats ________ their school bags.

1 ______________________________________________

2 ______________________________________________

3 ______________________________________________

4 ______________________________________________

5 ______________________________________________

8

turn on flew

barked

ran

turned on

carried

caughtnext

the the

the

the

theirquickly

meerkats meerkats

loudly

MP3

toholes

nets their in

at

with school bags

meerkats

The two men caught the meerkats with nets.

______________________

______________________

______________________

______________________

______________________

______________________

barked flew

t u rno n

c ary r

c ath c

ba

rk

r

f

u

l

n

y

________

________

________

________

________

1 3

42

5

Draw and write a description of what the balloon is flying over.

9

32

Uncle Jack’s balloon is flying over ______________

There are ______________________________________

________________________________________________

________________________________________________

________________________________________________

________________________________________________

Do you like the story? Draw your face.

= I love the story!

= I like the story.

= I quite like the story.

= I don’t like the story.

10�

PICTURE DICTIONARYUncle Jack and the Meerkats

address

(to) bark

between

cage

(to) cry

desert

hills

hole

hot-air balloon+971 2 645 8987info@jarirbookstores.ae

A hilarious adventure with Uncle Jack, Daisy, May, Jim and the meerkats.

Jane Cadwallader

Uncle Jackand the Meerkats

SYLLABUS

Vocabulary areasAnimals, nature, feelings, town

Grammar and structuresPast simple regular and irregular formsVerb + infinitiveVerb + -ing CouldMust for obligationShall for obligationAdverbs: never, sadly, a lotComparatives / superlatives: better best

My name is Jane and I live in a beautiful Spanish city, Madrid. I’m an English author of children’s books. I’ve always loved creating stories and songs for children. The best ideas come to me while… I’m jogging!

My name is Gustavo.I live in a very bigcity, Buenos Aires.I have been drawingall my life, ever sinceI was a child as I didn’t have a TV.I enjoy most of alldrawing comic stripsand picturing myselfand my kids in theillustrations thatI create.

PICTURE DICTIONARYUncle Jack and the Meerkats

inside lorry

stomach-ache

twins

toothache

next to

net loudspeaker

meerkats

Stage Title w/ video ISBN

Sophie’s Dream + CDHooray for the Holidays! + CD Granny Fixit and the Ball + CDGranny Fixit and the Pirate + CDGranny Fixit and the Yellow String + CDAladdin + CD

978-9948-22-149-4978-9948-22-150-0978-9948-22-151-7978-9948-22-152-4978-9948-22-153-1978-9948-22-154-8

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz + CDPB3 and the Vegetables + CD PB3 and the Jacket + CDPB3 and Coco the Clown + CDPB3 and the Helping Hands + CD

978-9948-22-155-5978-9948-22-156-2978-9948-22-157-9978-9948-22-158-6978-9948-22-159-3

Uncle Jack and the Bakonzi Tree + CDUncle jack and the Emperor Penguins + CDThe Canterville Ghost + CDUncle Jack and the Meerkats + CD Peter Pan + CD

978-9948-22-160-9978-9948-22-161-6978-9948-22-162-3978-9948-22-163-0978-9948-22-164-7

Harry and the Crown + CD Harry and the Egyptian Tomb + CDThe Secret Passage + CDWhite Fang + CD

978-9948-22-165-4978-9948-22-166-1978-9948-22-167-8978-9948-22-168-5

Sense and Sensibility + CD

Macbeth + CD

The Picture of Dorian Gray + CD

Stories of Mystery and Suspense + CD

Dubliners + CD

The Turn of the Screw + CD

Frankenstein + CD

Mrs. Dalloway + CD

The Great Gatsby + CD

A Collection of First World War Poetry + CD

Heart of Darkness + CD

1

2

3

4

3

4

5

6

YOUNG JARIR & ELI READERS ( PRIMARY )

YOUNG ADULT JARIR & ELI READERS ( SECONDARY )

inte

rmed

iate

uppe

r in

term

edia

te

profi

cienc

ypr

imar

y gr

ade

1 -

6ad

vanc

ed

978-9948-22-202-6

978-9948-22-203-3

978-9948-22-204-0

978-9948-22-205-7

978-9948-22-206-4

978-9948-22-196-8

978-9948-22-197-5

978-9948-22-198-2

978-9948-22-199-9

978-9948-22-200-2

978-9948-22-201-9