Cynthia von Buhler's Blog: Cynthia von Buhler's Goodreads Blog, page 5

School Library Journal - "Children will find a lot to discover in the details, even after repeated readings".

Click on the image to enlarge it.

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...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...

Kids Lit - "Great drama in a lovely theater of a book."

Click on the image to enlarge it.September 23, 2009:

Beginning with the fable from Aesop, Buhler creates an answer to the question of who will bell the cats. The story is one of two very different but very nearby worlds. One is the world of privilege and pampering of the princess and her eight cats. The other is the world below the floor of Mouse and his friend Bat who live on the crumbs and waste of the world above them. Mouse yearns to sleep on perfumed pillows, and eat gorgeous meals...

Syndicated, appearing in newspapers all over the United States, "The Young Library: Two classic fables are cat's meow."

Click on the image to enlarge it.

Artist-author Cynthia von Buhler takes another cat-and-mouse tale from Aesop and makes it her own. In the original fable, the mice want a way to stop a house cat's sneak attacks. One suggests tying a bell around the cat's neck. Fine, except who will do it?

Von Buhler comes up with a clever solution in her fanciful picture book.

In addition, she sets the action in an exquisitely detailed castlelike dollhouse that she built and elaborately decorated. The story...

Urban Baby- "Destined to earn the "classic" label."

Destined to earn the "classic" label down the road, But Who Will Bell the Cats? answers Aesop's age-old question about the logistics involved in belling a feline foe. In Cynthia von Buhler's tale, Mouse and BFF Brown Bat want out of their impoverished existence in the cold cellar and a piece of the action upstairs in the castle with the fancy library, bubble baths, grand ballroom and banquet hall. But first Mouse must bell the eight cats who live there with the princess. (Spoiler alert...

Horn Book Newsletter- "will charm dollhouse lovers."

Award-winning artist Cynthia von Buhler concocts a slightly spooky, shadowy setting for her story of a mouse and bat friend in But Who Will Bell the Cats? Mouse and Brown Bat live in the drafty cellar of a castle; in the castle live a princess and her eight cats. Mouse dreams of belling the cats so that he can venture upstairs safely. Spreads depicting cutaway views showcase the vast differences in life above, in the elegant castle, and below, in the dingy cellar. Von Buhler's photos of her i...

Read Out Loud Review - "A great vehicle for family or classroom debate and discussion."

This talented author/illustrator definitively solves the problem first raised by Aesop of who will bell the cats so the mice know when they are approaching. In von Buhler's tale eight royal cats get belled through the efforts of one mouse, the strength of whose motivation is equaled only by his ingenuity. The readalouder can describe the Princess' cats in a smooth, fast-paced voice to contrast with the low-pitched, slowly told tale of the downstairs mouse. A great vehicle for family or...

The Winner of Our Bookstore Cat Contest Is "Lucky."

"Lucky" Wins The Bookstore Cat Contest! He will receive a handmade cat collar and a signed copy of the The Cat Who Wouldn't Come Inside (he already owns But Who Will Bell the Cats?)

Bookstore Cat Contest: Do You Have A Cat Living In Your Bookstore?

For the bookstore cat contest scroll down under the reviews or click HERE.

Here's What The Reviewers Are Saying About But Who Will Bell the Cats?

Click on the image to enlarge it.
Kirkus Reviews: "Young readers will pore over this one again and again."
August, 2009:

Following a retelling of the Aesop fable, Von Buhler embellishes the tale with a luxurious castle, a princess, some pampered cats and an inventive, brave mouse with a faithful bat friend. The poor mouse lives in a dark basement, cold and hungry, surviving on the crumbs that fall through the floorboards. He has grandiose schemes to bell the cats, involving elaborate costumes...

The Winner of Our Twitter Contest Is "Jefferson."

Handsome Jefferson won our Twitter/Facebook cat collar contest. Here he is sporting a lilac colored collar (handmade by Mouse).