Author: Margaret Read MacDonald
Artist: Tim Coffey
Genre: Family / Animals / Trickery / Folktale / Africa
Year Published: 2001
Year Read: 2015
Publisher: Albert Whitman & Company
I have read many African folktales over the years and I have
enjoyed almost every single one of them!
So, I stumbled upon this new African folktale retold by Margaret Read MacDonald called “Mabela the Clever” along with
illustrations by Tim Coffey and man,
it was a truly fantastic tale that every child should read!
Mabela is the smallest mouse in her village and even though
it has been said that the mice are all foolish creatures, Mabela proves to be
more clever than the other mice, especially since her father had taught her how
to be more aware of her surroundings in this little quote:
“Mabela, when you are out and about, keep your ears open and LISTEN.
Mabela, when you are out and about, keep your eyes open and LOOK AROUND
YOU.
Mabela, when you are speaking, PAY ATTENTION TO WHAT YOU ARE SAYING.
Mabela, if you have to move, MOVE FAST!”
One day, the Cat came to the Mouse Village and she invited
the mice to her secret Cat Society where she can teach them the secrets of
being a cat. All the mice were excited
about this and they met up with the Cat at her house and the Cat tells them
that they need to learn this song:
“When we are marching,
We never look back!
The Cat is at the end,
Fo Feng!
Fo Feng!”
The Cat then tells the mice that they must march in a
straight line towards the forest and as the mice were marching while singing
the song, the Cat ended up capturing each mouse one by one due to the fact that
no one was watching the Cat as she performs this heinous act.
Can Mabela save the other mice?
Read this book to find out!
Oh man, how could I not check this book out before? Margaret
Read MacDonald has done an excellent job at capturing the humor and the
tension of this tale as we laugh at the mice following the Cat and suspecting
that nothing is wrong, while at the same time, we feel some tension in the
story in hoping that the mice make it out of the Cat’s grasp by the end of the
book! I also loved the fact that
Mabela’s father was able to teach his daughter about the dangers of the outside
world and how to avoid those dangers as it shows the importance of a parent
trying to protect their children by giving them warnings about surviving in the
outside world ahead of time. Tim Coffey’s artwork had the perfect
blend of intensity and humor as the mice look more goofy with their large
vacant eyes while the cat looks more menacing with her slanted green eyes and
orange fur that really makes her stand out from the colorful atmosphere of the
artwork.
Parents should know that the cat might scare smaller
children, especially since she wants to eat the mice and even tricked them into
her little game. Parents might want to
warn their children about the consequences of going off with strangers without
knowing the full facts of the situation and teach children how to defend
themselves whenever they are in such a situation.
Overall, “Mabela the
Clever” is a truly fantastic book about the importance of heeding warnings
about dangerous situations in life and showing how parents can be extremely
resourceful when it comes to teaching their children about the ways of the
world. I would recommend this book to
children ages five and up since the cat might scare smaller children.
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