Publication Date: September 7, 2009 | Age Level: 3 and up | Grade Level: P and up
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.
Product Description 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.
A Look Inside But Who Will Bell the Cats? (Click on Images to View Full Page)
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 END
Hailed by the press as "multitalented and eccentric" (Boston Globe), a "rising star," (NY Arts), and "one of the top contemporary surrealists" (Art & Antiques), Cynthia von Buhler has made a name for herself as an award-winning and critically acclaimed fine artist, author, and illustrator. Von Buhler's work has been likened to a trip down an ornate rabbit hole -- her stunning, three-dimensional paintings have been displayed in galleries and museums around the world, and have been reproduced and featured in books, magazines, and newspapers from TIME to The New Yorker. Her sculptures have also appeared on NBC's Law & Order and Kidnapped, she and her artwork were profiled in "Mary Magdalen: An Intimate Portrait" on the Lifetime Network. Von Buhler's artwork has appeared in animations on Nickelodeon.
Since her early days as a student at the Art Institute of Boston, however, her true creative passion has been writing and illustrating children's books. In 1998, von Buhler's illustrations for Nicholas Nicholson's Little Girl in Red Dress With Cat and Dog (Viking) garnered her a starred review in Publisher's Weekly, which praised the "imaginative debut" and her "distinct sense of time and place." In 2001, she was asked by Steven Spielberg to illustrate Martha Stewart's story for Once Upon a Fairytale (Viking), a book produced to benefit The Starbright Foundation for seriously ill children. In 2002, The New York Public Library selected the "handsomely illustrated" (The New York Times) They Called Her Molly Pitcher (Knopf), written by Anne Rockwell and illustrated by Cynthia von Buhler, as one of "One Hundred Titles for Reading and Sharing." In 2004, she went on to illustrate Nicolaus Copernicus: The Earth Is a Planet. Reviews called her "dramatic oil-on-gesso artwork" (School Library Journal) "handsome and effective" (Booklist). Publisher's Weekly offered high praise for her work on the book: "Von Buhler's paintings exert a gravitational pull of their own."
After these successful efforts illustrating the books and stories of other authors, Cynthia took a decisive step forward and created The Cat Who Wouldn't Come Inside (Houghton Mifflin) with dual credits as author and illustrator. The book's writing and its unique three-dimensional artwork featuring painted clay characters in detailed architectural sets were widely praised by the press. Book Sense named the book as a "Children's Pick" for its "beautiful story" and "extremely detailed sets." Kirkus Reviews called the illustrations "unique" and "eye-popping," providing "a glimpse of a world beyond the frame" and pronounced the book "a sheer delight." Publisher's Weekly thought "readers ... may well be entranced" by the "considerable magic" of von Buhler's illustrations, while Time Out New York called the book "beautifully ornate," and "the cat's meow." The book was also chosen as "Best of 2006" by Parent & Child magazine.
In 2009, von Buhler took a second turn as author and illustrator with her soon to be released But Who Will Bell The Cats? (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt). The book's superb illustrations are a tour de force, with painstakingly handmade architectural sets, cinematic lighting, and luminous oil paintings of the characters in action. Advance praise for the book, which will officially be released on September 7th, has been strong: Kirkus Reviews predicted that "young readers will pore over this one again and again," and School Library Journal agreed that "children will find a lot to discover in the details, even after repeated readings." Von Buhler's artwork has achieved such significant accolades that, even prior to the book's release, The Nassau County Museum of Art in New York is exhibiting the book's elaborate miniature sets in a feature solo exhibition between September 20, 2009 and January 3, 2010.
Cynthia von Buhler's work is in the permanent collections of The Staten Island Museum, The Nassau County Museum of Art, The University of Toronto, The Opera Company of Philadelphia, Dana Farber Cancer Institute, and hundreds of personal collections all over the world. She splits her time between a castle on Staten Island and a lodge in Connecticut with her husband and her many, many animals.
This review is from: But Who Will Bell the Cats? (Hardcover)
My nieces love this book! It's like a miniature dollhouse (castle) brought to life and each page offers dozens of details to discover. And what a wonderful ending - a subtle but effective message about how kindness always trumps aggression.
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This review is from: But Who Will Bell the Cats? (Hardcover)
Beautifully illustrated! This book along with her previous book are both visual feasts. The detailed artwork makes it a wonderful book to read aloud over and over. There are so many amazing details that each time you can find something new to focus on.
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This review is from: But Who Will Bell the Cats? (Hardcover)
This is an absolute feast for children and adults alike. I could stare at the intricately detailed artwork for hours on end. It's a rare blend of craft and magic captured in these pages.
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