Customer Reviews

The King, the Mice and the Cheese (Beginner Books(R))

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book is similar to a P.D. Eastman book, such as _Go Dog Go_ or _Are You my Mother?_, but this one has an interesting Middle Eastern flavor to it. It is a great fable about cooperation between people in conflict, that unwise solutions to conflict often cause even worse problems. There's no lecturing or preaching here (a rare thing for a children's book), just simple cause and effect. If you bring in cats to rid yourself of mice, the cats are worse than the mice. The story line is that first it's mice, then cats, etc., then elephants, then mice again, then a cooperative agreement with the mice and everyone gets what they really wanted in the first place. I wish there were more children's books like this which truly grasp things about human relations.

My mother first read this book to me when I was a child and I read it to my little brother later. I bought a copy for myself as an adult and have had great fun sharing with all of the children in my life. The story is a cautionary tale about the law of unintended consequences and the need to work out your differences. The best thing about the book is the hilarious illustrations. My children, my husband and I would sit together, making the animal noises and enjoying every part of each picture. (My personal fav is the elephant grabbing the startled king while he talks to his wise men.) A great book for your family!

This is a wonderful story and both my 5yo and my 3yo love it (and I like reading it too). The King wants to get rid of the mice and his wise men keep coming up with progressivly worse solutions until the King is right back where he started -- and creative thinking saves the day! Great illustrations.

Finally back in print. What an awesome book. Loved it as a kid and now one of my kids' favorites. So happy I can now purchase for my niece.

My daughter got her first copy from her great-grandmother (it had been my father's when he was a child). She loves it so much that she has worn out two copies now. Colorful pictures, easy to follow words, and wonderful morals (sharing, thinking problems through, and that the easy way isn't always the best way).

THIS WAS ONE OF MY FAVORITE CHILDHOOD BOOKS, I HAD TO HAVE IT TO OWN!
RECOMMENDED READING FOR ALL AGES FOR A CHUCKLE!

This was one of my favorite books since I was a kid. The pictures were funny and the story has two good lessons in it. People should try to figure out your own problems and don't judge a book by its cover. In this case the mice. The king learned to share his home and his cheese and that's the moral of this story. I would recommended this book to my friends if they where doing this project. It is a great learning experience for kids.

To summarize the story, it's all about trying to deal with the problem you have in the first place (mice), rather than bringing in solutions that create even worse problems (cats, dogs, lions and elephants).

But since you will likely be reading it to your kids, the story is not all that important at first. I had this as a boy and enjoyed the drawings, which gets a kid hooked on a book before anything else. My two-year-old LOVES this book, and fills in the words every time we get to words like "king" "mice" "cheese" "lion", etc. He really has no idea what the story teaches, but he loves to read it with me, and that's the key to a great kid's book.

This book is a winner with both of my boys. They really enjoy the pictures and the story. It's a classic.

The King, the Mice and the Cheese by Nancy Gurney is an excellent children's book. It is one that I well remember from my own childhood and purchased for my daughter who loves it.

It is about a king who has trouble with rude mice eating his cheese. He consults his wise men and they suggest cats to chase away the mice. The cats become a nuisance, so the wise men recommend the king bring in dogs to chase the cats away. The cycle goes on until the mice are finally brought back to chase away the elephants, brought in to chase away the lions that'd chased away the dogs.

The story ends in compromise and friendship between the mice and the king. The story also teaches cause and effect relationships.

The pictures that accompany the story are humorous and memorable. I was thrilled to discover that it is back in print. I *highly* recommend it for children ages 2 to 7.