Customer Reviews

Anatole and the Cat

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It's a nice book that continues the story of Anatole at the cheese factory. The first book was nicer, but this is a must if you liked the first one. Introduces a clever way of catching the cat and Anatole is once again the hero. Drawings are wonderful in red white and blue.

My granddaughter enjoyed the book immensely, and I appreciate the fact that the characters emphasize family values and an excellent work ethic.

Anatole, if you haven't read the first story, is the loveable mouse who works as the anonymous cheese taster at the cheese factory.

In this second book, Anatole is faced with a problem. And that is the house cat or in this case, "factory" cat. But after the story goes on, our hero comes up with a perfect solution. Read it and find out.

Galdone's illustrations are genius as is the idea of using only French colors.

R

We own a half a dozen in the series of Anatole the mouse. This one, like all the sequels follows a rough formula: dilemma, overly-detailed plan, Anatole saves the day and receives great honor and mention for his bravery.

Anatole is a mouse living in Paris with his wife Doucette and their six children (Claude & Claudette, Paule & Paulette, Georges & Georgette). He works incognito as a cheese taster in the Duval Cheese Factory, and always is smart, honest and brave.

In this story, Anatole and his long-time friend and co-worker, Gaston, are caught off-guard one night while working in the factory by the sound of a cat moving about on the floor above them. Anatole's work suffers because of his fear of the cat, and his suggestions on improvements for the cheeses nearly bring the Duval company to ruin when he offers up solutions like adding frogs legs to improve the taste of the cheese (eww..). Charlemagne, the cat, he soon discovers is the companion of Monseir Duval himself. Anatole, at risk of losing Gaston's help in the cheese factory, his job, and perhaps his own life, resolves to that which has never been accomplished before: Bell the cat.

This story parallels another of the more enjoyable editions in the series: Anatole and the Toyshop in the way that dilemma=cat, solution=catnip. But it's actually one of the better reads of the formulaic sequels. It toys with being overly-wordy, but doesn't quite cross that line.

Of course the story ends with Anatole suceeding both in his mission to conquer the cat, and in accidently discovering a cheese recipe (with cucumber seeds) that has become all the rage in France, which is subsequently named Cheese Anatole. There is a boat in another book named 'The Anatole' at the end, so these story lines do seem to repeat a bit throughout the series, leaving want for more original ideas.

It's not as good a read as the original, but it's not bad either. Galdone's illustrations, as always, make the story something more than the words alone, and perhaps one of the most fun parts of the story is just how truly naughty and sly Charlemagne looks. All Galdone's cats have this appearance, but it is quite appropriate in these books.

I gave the first book of this series; Anatole, to a family with one French parent and one American parent and it was a big hit with the parents and the three toddlers so the next holiday I gave them Anatole and The Cat which was also very enthusiastically received.
Anatole and the Cat reinforces the concept of honor, hard work and problem solving that was introduced in the first book of the series; Anatole. The book about a Parisian mouse has been translated into English but still includes some french words that the children love to hear and repeat. Anatole really is a Mouse Magnifique!