Mr. T. W. Anthony Woo The Story of a Cat and a Dog and a Mouse.

by Marie Hall Ets

an amusing story full of wisdom and ageless delight.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Animals

Hardcover

First published January 1, 1951

About the author

Marie Hall Ets was an American writer and illustrator who is best known for children's picture books. She attended Lawrence College, and in 1918, Ets journeyed to Chicago where she became a social worker at the Chicago Commons, a settlement house on the northwest side of the city.

Reviews

[Calista · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a long story maybe about 20 minutes or so to read. The artwork is interesting. It is black and white lithographs. The words are dense and some pages are mostly words.

The story is a cobbler lives with a dog, a cat, and a mouse. They can’t really get along and the cobbler simply wants peace. One day, the cobbler leaves and the cat and dog fight so horrible they wreak the place and the cobbler’s sister is called. She sees the mess, cleans up and puts the cat and dog out. The sister has a parrot that drives the cobbler crazy, it’s why he moved out of her house. So now everyone is miserable.

The sister is afraid of mice so how do you think peace is restored in the house and who gets the sister to leave? It’s not a bad story, but it also isn’t a great story.

The kids lost interest in this and the nephew asked to read something else. The nephew say this was a terrible book and he gave it 1 star and the niece also gave it one star. The story didn’t hold their attention. It was not a fit for our family.

[Ed · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was one of my pleasant surprises from #nerdcott. It is a very long book for a picture book, but I loved the story, and even though the illustrations are in black (and I do mean BLACK) and white, they are very well done, and really add to the old fashioned feel of the story. I also firmly believe that this is the best title of any book to every receive a Caldecott Honor or Medal, and my 9 year-old loved hearing about Mr. T.W. Anthony Woo. A fun book, but a tough one to read to your kid at bedtime, since it is a pretty long story.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Marie Hall Ets, the bane of my existence. Just kidding. This is actually one of her better books that won some sort of Caldecott, this one having won the 1952 Caldecott Honor. It’s a rather random story though. The title refers to the name of a mouse who lives with a shoemaker, along with a cat and a dog that are constantly fighting with each other. One day, the shoemaker goes out to run some errands and his meddlesome sister stops by and sees the shop in an absolute mess from the cat and dog. She decides that she must move in with her brother and take care of him, so she and her annoying repeating parrot move in without his permission and the first thing she does is get rid of the dog and the cat. The shoemaker comes back home all confused but is too nice to tell her to leave. He rescues the cat and dog from outside and they all plot together with the mouse to get rid of the sister (she is scared of mice). They do and all three and the shoemaker live the rest of their days in harmony. The illustrations are rather plain in black and white but tell the story nicely. Recommended for ages 3-6, 3 stars.

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once I was into this story, it just flowed. The title itself is so odd that taps all kinds of wonder about what the book might dive into; the subtitle The Story of a Cat and a Dog and a Mouse may bring it back down to earth but also suggests what a romp the reader is in for. It is true as other reviewers have said that this is a long book with a great deal of text (a common feature of many of the earlier Caldecotts), but Ets' lithographs on stiff paper have a European and aged feel while being surprisingly magical. The story is unrolled with tension, subplots and whimsey - patience with its length will be rewarded. The full-page scene of cat and dog in full combat is the best of the book. Give this book a chance and put on your best reading skills with young listeners to give them a entryway into enjoying this treasure too.

[Maria Rowe · Rating 4 out of 5]

• 1952 Caldecott Honor Book •

Very charming, with a great moral that working together is better for everyone than fighting. I love the line: “People always hate the things they are afraid of.” (p.14)

The text in this is rather long which is typical of most older children’s books. As I’m reading the Caldecott books, I’m starting to get used to the length. I can’t help but wonder if having longer children’s books would help children’s attention spans as they get older? Or does that just not work in today’s world? How many children today could sit through a long book? How many adults?

I think the illustrations are gorgeous - probably woodcuts? The faces are all really expressive and everything is really detailed.

Materials used: unlisted
Typeface used: unlisted

[Katie Fitzgerald · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a lengthy picture book about a shoemaker, his dog, his cat, his sister, and his secret pet mouse, whom his sister finds disgusting. (The mouse is the character for whom the book is named.) I couldn’t really connect with this one, and I found the black and white illustrations sort of monotonous. The one great thing I did notice was the onomatopoeia the author uses for the sound of the shoemaker working - “A-clink, a-clank, a whungk whangk.” If the book were just a bit more story-time friendly, I can imagine a room full of kids would have a lot of fun reciting that little refrain.

[Mckinley · Rating 3 out of 5]

What one thinks is the right thing isn't always for everyone else.
Caldecott honor

[Lafcadio · Rating 3 out of 5]

Agh, Man! Kick your sister out sooner, eh?

[Laura5 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Video blog post:
http://liblaura5.blogspot.com/2012/05...

[Ama · Rating 2 out of 5]

Liked the text more than the illustrations.

[Brindi Michele · Rating 1 out of 5]

1952 Caldecott Honor

I thought this was horrible...illustrations and text

[Stefanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

A moral tale about why fighting is bad.

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a cute story, a bit long for small children, but engaging. The illustrations are exquisite.

[Mitchell Friedman · Rating 3 out of 5]

An old Caldecott Honor. A lot of words for a picture book. In fact I'd say its more of an illustrated book. Not a bad story. The art wasn't all that impressive. Definitely not bad, but not all that good.

[MaryAnne · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cat, dog and mouse learn to live peaceably with the cobbler. Black and white illustrations, maybe woodblock. Caldecott Honor Book.

[Lorna · Rating 2 out of 5]

1952 Caldecott Honor

Kid-appeal: Way, way, WAY too long. If I kept wondering when it was going to be over, I can imagine many readers would feel the same way. My daughter and Caldecott-side kick got to this one in the book bag before I did and went out of her way to tell me how much she didn't like it. On the plus, as always, I love Ets's illustrations. These I'm guessing are wood block, or linoleum cut prints with amazing detail. Illustrations 4-stars, text 2-stars.

[Molly · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the story of a cat, a dog and a mouse who work together to achieve peace in their home when it is disrupted by the sister of the cobbler who owns them and her parrot. The story has a good message and the illustrations are great but it is overly long and a bit boring.