Common Sense Note
Parents need to know that this reprint of an popular classic of the '50s is refreshingly true to the original. However, though this is a picture book with captivating illustrations, younger readers may not fully understand the story; older kids and adults will completely embrace the drawings, story, and message.
Families can talk about why Anatole felt bad when he heard humans talking disparagingly about mice and why he felt he needed to do something to earn his food. Do you agree that it's better to earn things and to give something in return for the things you get? What does it mean to have self-respect or to be honorable? Families might also talk about and try different cheeses, locate Paris on a map, and practice saying the French phrases in the book.
Common Sense Review
Reviewed By: Patricia Tauzer
Dressed in his French blue smock, red neckerchief, and black beret, Anatole is hailed by his friend Gaston as a mouse "magnifique!" The same can be said of his story, written by the award-winning Eve Titus and illustrated by Paul Galdone. This truly is a magnificent book, on every level: the story is heartwarming and important, the characters sympathetic, and the illustrations engaging.
ANATOLE is the story about honor and one anthropomorphic mouse's search for self-respect. Just a simple family mouse, Anatole is a hard-worker and gentle friend with high ideals. Rather than giving in and accepting what seems to be the lowly lot of mice in Paris, which would be the easy thing to do, he is determined to become something more honorable. Intent on earning what he eats, he becomes a "mouse of action!" and gains the respect of everyone around him.
The language of this book adds to its magnificence. The story is simply told, but scattered with clever touches that make it uniquely genuine. Especially fun are the names of the children, the list of cheeses, and the playful insertion of French phrases that tickle the tongue.
To top it off, Galdone's simple but vivid illustrations add a further richness that, from page one, draws the reader into Anatole's world. His minimal use of color complements the unpretentious lines of his drawings, especially the features of the mice, with their rounded black eyes and small and delicate faces. Pages alternate between being purely black and white sketches to those tinted to varying degrees with the colors of the French flag: blue, red, and white. In fact, those are the only colors used throughout the entire book.
The first of 10 Anatole adventures, Anatole was originally published in 1956 and won the Caldecott Honor award.
From The Book
Doucette comforted him.
"You are so right, Anatole," she said sadly.
If only we could give people something in return -- but alas, that is impossible!"
Anatole jumped up and danced Doucette around the room.
"Impossible? Perhaps not, ma petitie!
You have given me a wonderful idea."
Plot Summary:
When the French mouse, Anatole, realizes that humans dislike mice for sneaking in and rummaging around their homes for leftovers, he is adamant about finding a more honorable way to provide for his family. He comes up with an ingenuous plan for helping the Duvall Cheese Factory in exchange for cheese bits he can bring home.
When his plan succeeds, he becomes a "respectable business-mouse," "first vice-president in charge of cheese tasting," "a mouse of honor," and a hero to the humans as well as to the mouse community. Viva Anatole!
Related Books:
Other Books by Eve Titus:
Anatole and the Cat
Anatole Over Paris
Anatole and the Piano
Basil of Baker Street
Another Longer Book about Heroic Mice:
The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo
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Social BehaviorAnatole finds a creative, honorable way to support his family and, in return, help those who feed him. |
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