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 Anatole & the Cat
by Eve Titus, illustrated by Paul Galdone |
| Ages 3-6 |
40 pages |
Knopf |
November 2006 |
Hardcover |
 |
Anatole has a job any mouse would wish for in their wildest dreams,
but in this second book in the Anatole series, his job just got a little bit dangerous!
Anatole and his friend Gaston wait for dark when all the
other Duval Cheese Factory workers have gone home. Then they start their work tasting cheeses and making suggestions to improve the flavors. Although Anatole wants to be at work, he fears he might have to quit. Anatole and Gaston are afraid of the cat who
has been visiting the cheese factory at night. However, inspired by Gaston’s joke and an old tale familiar to mice, Anatole takes steps to resolve his problems with the cat.
The red, blue, and white colors are so vibrant against the blacks and grays in this story. In this second book, different views of Anatole’s house and the mouse village can be seen. Gaston and Anatole are together more, and there is the introduction of the long, slinky, black and white cat, Charlemagne.
I’m not alone in loving this book. Anatole and the Cat is a Caldecott Honor Book originally published in 1957. Anatole, the French mouse, established himself as an honorable and respected mouse in his first book. In his second book, he continues his honorable ways,
paying with cheese when he visits the pet shop and lumber shop.
And, in this book, he comes to be known as the bravest mouse in France too!
Eve Titus has taken us again into Anatole's memorable
world. Ever protective of his six children and kind to his wife, Anatole is rewarded once more by the president of the Duval Cheese Factory. In the first book he is given the title “First Vice-President in Charge of Cheese-Tasting.” At the end of Anatole and the Cat, the president bestows a
surprising honor on Anatole due to an accidental cheese evaluation.
Don’t be surprised if your child needs to follow Anatole into his other books. Paul Galdone, known for his versions of The Three Little Kittens and The Little Red Hen, and Eve Titus, the author of numerous children’s books, have a hit with Anatole and the Cat. There will never be a world like the one reflected in the pictures by Paul Galdone and the stories by Eve Titus, but it’s fun to be immersed in them for awhile.
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