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roseleaf24's review
4.0
This is such a cute story. The two littlest mice get sent to bell the cat. They end up on a wild adventure instead. There are several really funny lines, and these two mice are just delightful characters, as is the tiger they meet.
tealmango's review
4.0
Read the full review here: http://newberyandbeyond.com/newbery-reads-october/
This book is all about the illustrations. The well-known story about mice attempting to put a bell on the house cat turns into a wild adventure when two small mice get taken away on a ship and eventually meet a tiger. It’s a short, cute, funny story that younger kids will love.
This book is all about the illustrations. The well-known story about mice attempting to put a bell on the house cat turns into a wild adventure when two small mice get taken away on a ship and eventually meet a tiger. It’s a short, cute, funny story that younger kids will love.
triscuit807's review
5.0
5 stars. What a shame this is out of print. The story is charming and the illustrations are adorable. Stolz takes "who will bell the cat" to another level. Asa and Rambo are small twin mice who live in the cellar. The other mice choose them to bell the cat living in the house. And they make a valiant attempt; they manage to get a collar with a bell but their journey home is derailed by a cat and they escape to a ship which then sails away with them. They live a good life on the ship and when it docks again they decide to see another land. The book contains more text than the average picture book and would be perfect for a child reading early chapter books (2nd-3rd grade). I read this for my Reading Challenge (52 wks "color orange on cover") and my Newbery Challenge (Honor 1962). I read this via Open Library/Internet Archive due to library closures amid the Covid 19 pandemic.
luann's review
3.0
This is a much longer story than the other "belling the cat" story I've read: [b:But Who Will Bell the Cats?|6576802|But Who Will Bell the Cats?|Cynthia von Buhler|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348646811s/6576802.jpg|6770172]. This is quite a bit longer than your typical picture book. It is perfect for children who are ready for chapter books but still want a picture book.
I had to laugh at the mice meeting with the leader Portman, a kitchen mouse who "was silver, going gray, and knew what there was to know, from cellar to attic." I've been in meetings with a Portman-type before and Mary Stolz got him just right!
This won a Newbery Honor in 1962.
I had to laugh at the mice meeting with the leader Portman, a kitchen mouse who "was silver, going gray, and knew what there was to know, from cellar to attic." I've been in meetings with a Portman-type before and Mary Stolz got him just right!
This won a Newbery Honor in 1962.
alys's review
3.0
This was a sweet tale of two timid mice on a quest. I enjoyed it and will recommend it to second and third graders.
Thinking of this book in terms of the Newbery Honor that it was awarded (or technically retroactively awarded, since before 1971 they were "runners up") forces me to remind myself that being distinguished can be viewed in multiple ways, and that I need to examine my biases. One of which, apparently, is that, like many people, I tend to assign more weight to longer books which have the time and space to flesh things out that an early chapter book does not.
But back to the criteria! The characters of the two mice were well drawn, particularly considering how short the book is. They had a clear character arc, both as a pair, and as individuals, with Asa becoming more proactive over the course of the story. Self-important Portman, while a one-note character, was nevertheless vividly drawn. I particularly liked the section where the mice decide to continue on their quest because while all other fears are theoretical, the fear of Portman, whom they see every day, is tangible and real to them.
Of the Newbery books and Honor books that I have read so far, this one most resembles My Father's Dragon, both in its relatively light-hearted tone as well as its reading level and episodic adventure quest nature. I liked MFD better, partly I think because I enjoy imaginative romps.
Thinking of this book in terms of the Newbery Honor that it was awarded (or technically retroactively awarded, since before 1971 they were "runners up") forces me to remind myself that being distinguished can be viewed in multiple ways, and that I need to examine my biases. One of which, apparently, is that, like many people, I tend to assign more weight to longer books which have the time and space to flesh things out that an early chapter book does not.
But back to the criteria! The characters of the two mice were well drawn, particularly considering how short the book is. They had a clear character arc, both as a pair, and as individuals, with Asa becoming more proactive over the course of the story. Self-important Portman, while a one-note character, was nevertheless vividly drawn. I particularly liked the section where the mice decide to continue on their quest because while all other fears are theoretical, the fear of Portman, whom they see every day, is tangible and real to them.
Of the Newbery books and Honor books that I have read so far, this one most resembles My Father's Dragon, both in its relatively light-hearted tone as well as its reading level and episodic adventure quest nature. I liked MFD better, partly I think because I enjoy imaginative romps.
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