But Who Will Bell the Cats? by Cynthia von Buhler (children's picture book) - signed copy
Finally, the solution to Aesop's age-old question: Who will bell the cats?
Mouse and his friend, Brown Bat, are determined to get out of the basement and into the banquet hall to join the fun and frolicking there. But escape won't be easy with the cats blocking their efforts...It will take many attempts and a surprising solution for Mouse and Bat to succeed.
Cynthia von Buhler's enchanted upstairs/downstairs world shows readers the rewards of determination, bravery, and creativity and reminds them of the uncomplicated power of kindness.
- Age Range: 4 - 7 years
- Grade Level: Preschool - 3
- Hardcover: 32 pages
- Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers; First Edition edition (September 7, 2009)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0618997180
- ISBN-13: 978-0618997183
- Product Dimensions: 11 x 0.3 x 9 inches
- Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
From School Library Journal
PreSchool-Grade 1—In solving the Aesop riddle, von Buhler creates a lavish castle complete with handmade rooms, highly decorated backgrounds, and characters formed as cutout paper dolls. When photographed, the collage illustrations have a three-dimensional look that, while intriguing, sometimes tends to overpower the simple story. The color choices, which appropriately reflect the castle setting, tend to cast a darkish hue; however, the cats' huge eyes help to compensate, bringing an interesting contrast to the page. The back jacket flap details von Buhler's production of her illustrations. As the story begins, a two-tiered, upstairs-downstairs setting finds Princess and her eight spoiled cats enjoying luxurious lives in contrast to the humdrum basement surroundings of Mouse and his friend Brown Bat. Determined to share some of that good life, Mouse devises a number of schemes to bell the felines, only to be outwitted (and needing rescue from Brown Bat) at every turn. After learning that Princess is about to celebrate her birthday with a party, Mouse finally, and cleverly, concocts a way to accomplish his mission; with the cats belled, the final page finds the duo indulging in an array of gooey birthday treats. This tale will work well in conjunction with Aesop's original fable, which conveniently prefaces the story. Children will find a lot to discover in the details, even after repeated readings.--Barbara Elleman, Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, Amherst, MA