How to Catch a Mouse

Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: June 25, 2015

Review

Clemmie is a cat who believes that she is great at catching mice. She has studied up on the techniques needed to accomplish just such a feat. She believes that because she has never actually seen a live mouse, it must be because she is so scary that no mouse would dare infest her home. We soon see, however, that there is a mouse quite near to Clemmie at every turn and Clemmie is simply not seeing her. The mouse dons hilarious disguises that include sock hats, big eyes and glasses a la Groucho Marx, and a fake tail that looks like a tutu. The illustrations are done in soft palettes and there is lots of white space. The text is quite small so this might be best as a read-aloud. The expressive illustrations and text jibe with one another. This is altogether a pleasant, amusing read and should be seriously considered for one's shelves.

Overall Book Score: very good