‘Cat Spies Mouse’ is a fun and interactive story about an arrogant and impatient cat who comes head-to-head with a humble and patient mouse.
Mouse, although small, is a game-changer who asks big questions. With each of her thought-provoking questions, Mouse is taking small but powerful steps to make the world a better place!
Fun and entertaining illustrations from Dave Atze provide additional depth and cheeky humour to this simple story with a big message.
“Cat Spies Mouse is a fun and funny picture book that subtly teaches kids about tolerance, respect and challenging stereotypes. With a laugh-out-loud ending, a healthy dose of grossness, entertaining characters and engaging illustrations, kids will love it.” – Kids Book Review, Shaye Wardrop
Shaye Wardrop – Kids Book Review –
At its heart, Cat Spies Mouse is about challenging stereotypes. It’s about finding the courage to stand up and ask ‘why’, and it’s about digging deeper when the answer to that question is ‘because it’s always been that way’.
The illustrations are super funky. The characters come to life in a cartoon style, and with loads of white space they really pop on the page.
Cat Spies Mouse is a fun and funny picture book that subtly teaches kids about tolerance, respect and challenging stereotypes. With a laugh-out-loud ending, a healthy dose of grossness, entertaining characters and engaging illustrations, kids will love it.
Shaye Wardrop – Kids Book Review
Lisa Gillespie –
A classroom classic! A subtle way to foster respect and acceptance. A great conversation starter for kids (and adults too!)
Julieann Wallace –
There is no doubt that this story will open up discussion on the topic of fairness – at school, as well as at home, and question the notion about doing things without thinking, just because “that is what is expected”, or “that is the way it has always been done”. But why? And is it reasonable, or fair?
There are two outstanding take-aways from this tale: one is the courage and bravery of the mouse to question what cat is doing, and the other is that the cat can absolutely not understand how mouse feels, until what he is doing to mouse, happens to him. It’s kind of satisfying to see him get a taste of his own medicine, plus being covered in dog-stomach-goop at the end.
Julieann Wallace –
Author, Rina A Foti has written a story that has a theme that young children are familiar with in the animal world – mouse vs cat and cat vs dog. Kids will totally get it. They will also understand the repeated words, “That’s not fair!”
Illustrator, Dave Atze has created colourful, likeable characters that leap off the page, showing their personality through facial expressions, poses and humour that will attract children’s interest and make them giggle, but also help to develop empathy for the under-dog character in each situation.
David Kelsey –
A book that will get read again and again…and again!
The Bottom Shelf –
When Cat spies mouse, he grabs him and tells him he is going to gobble her up. But being a feisty mouse, she disagrees and asks, “Why would you do that?” And so begins a back-and-forth conversation about the fairness of bigger being allowed to eat smaller because “that’s the way it is”. Mouse, who must be terrified, nevertheless has courage and tries to convince Cat that it would be better to be friends, but Cat is not interested until along comes D-O-G!
Told entirely in conversation with different coloured text identifying each speaker, this is a charming story about assumed power invested by size – just because you’re bigger doesn’t make you in charge – and it will promote discussion about whether being little means giving in or having rights. Is Cat (or Dog) a bully? Mouse’s arguing against the status quo is very reminiscent of little ones who feel injustice keenly but who don’t quite know how to get something sorted, although they are determined to win and make their own world fairer. Having the courage to speak up for change is a big lesson in assertiveness, and while parents might end the conversation with “Because I said so!” it is nevertheless a sign that their little one is maturing and gaining independence.
The illustrations are divine – set on a white background, all the emotions and feelings are contained in the animals’ body language and facial expressions that even without being able to read the words for themselves, very young readers will still be able to work out the story and participate in that crucial pre-reading behaviour.
Don’t be fooled by its apparent simplicity – this is a thought-provoking read that we can all take heed of, regardless of our age!