tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-278429952024-03-12T20:09:39.941-04:00Extra! Extra!About Cynthia von Buhler's Children's BooksCVBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17342243824603653833noreply@blogger.comBlogger64125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27842995.post-53583816214930062092012-10-15T03:44:00.003-04:002012-10-15T03:44:46.227-04:00"The Countess and Her Cats" opens at The Mark Twain House and Museum, Hartford, CT<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Exhibition opening: "The Countess & Her Cats" and "Illustrating Twain"</div>
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<a href="http://www.marktwainhouse.org/" target="_blank">The Mark Twain House and Museum</a></div>
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Thursday, October 18, 5:30 p.m.</div>
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We will be showing diorama and dollhouse art from the artist Cynthia von Buhler, author of the children's books "But Who Will Bell the Cats" and "The Cat Who Would Not Come Inside." Von Buhler combines dioramas she constructs with illustration in an imaginative way in her delightful tales. "Illustrating Twain" will feature illustrations by Mark Twain and about Mark Twain. Through January 15.</div>
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<strong>The opening reception on Oct. 18 is free of charge. The exhibit may be viewed with the purchase of a Mark Twain House tour or for a $5.00 museum-only admission .</strong></div>
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A Halloween Tea Party with the Countess</div>
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<a href="http://The Mark Twain House and Museum" target="_blank">The Mark Twain House and Museum</a></div>
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Saturday, October 27, 2:00 p.m.</div>
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The younger set are invited to don their Halloween finery for a tea with "Countess" Cynthia von Buhler, author and illustrator of But Who Will Bell the Cats? Kids will feast on tea and sweets, tour our new exhibition The Countess & Her Cats and enjoy a spooky performance by Hartford Children’s Theatre.</div>
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<strong>Tickets $15 for adults, $10 for children. Call (860) 280-3130.</strong></div>
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CVBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17342243824603653833noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27842995.post-26656418733191057962012-03-26T16:22:00.004-04:002012-03-26T16:35:13.263-04:00Flowers Can Kill Your Cat<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj2zInhj3kV1RNBsXjAZK7trjQK6eVVleyeJueTaSkBSkKIt6UXnGizz_28-HDHFNwO5SN5YET8IxpYL1y1K-taejd98nxyL8npXDNxCp0MqQOxjetyELbwa7U3NIJgxTt2qAh/s1600/28966354.EasterLily%255B1%255D+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="375" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj2zInhj3kV1RNBsXjAZK7trjQK6eVVleyeJueTaSkBSkKIt6UXnGizz_28-HDHFNwO5SN5YET8IxpYL1y1K-taejd98nxyL8npXDNxCp0MqQOxjetyELbwa7U3NIJgxTt2qAh/s400/28966354.EasterLily%255B1%255D+copy.jpg" /></a></div><br />
I'm not talking about science fiction. It's true. Flowers can kill your pet.<br />
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Easter is around the corner. Before you give someone an Easter Lily make sure that they don't have a cat! <br />
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Every year I try to let people know that the white Easter Lily is extremely toxic to cats. Even the orange powder which falls from the flower onto the counter or floor is toxic. A little bit licked off your pet's paw can cause renal failure and death. Flower shops will not tell you this because they could lose money.<br />
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I had no idea about this until my cat Cleopatra almost died. Most people are clueless about which plants are poisonous to their pets. <br />
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The ASPCA has a great list that can be searched by cat, dog or horse. Click <a href="http://www.aspca.org/Pet-care/poison-control/Plants">HERE</a>.CVBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17342243824603653833noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27842995.post-32045707941490435712012-03-26T16:09:00.002-04:002012-03-26T16:10:23.707-04:00The Countess and her Cats<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhdQeAKoOSgmrAEvOy9_Zk8xC_jKs5BwqFqbRRWlrkvSx4KyPMs66Jwva_DiVTHTiLkV3naqpibsxdZbC8sWFmMiG0-Qj7fAQoK-CavcPgvr8BW4EwLPCI7hVLH9mq4DZ4mVOj/s1600/The-Cheshire-Cat-with-Mark-Twain..jpeg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 208px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhdQeAKoOSgmrAEvOy9_Zk8xC_jKs5BwqFqbRRWlrkvSx4KyPMs66Jwva_DiVTHTiLkV3naqpibsxdZbC8sWFmMiG0-Qj7fAQoK-CavcPgvr8BW4EwLPCI7hVLH9mq4DZ4mVOj/s400/The-Cheshire-Cat-with-Mark-Twain..jpeg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5591773242722130418" /></a><small><center>Did you know that Mark Twain loved cats? His cats had fantastic names like Pestilence, Satan, Sin, and Famine.</small></center><br />
Fans of Cynthia von Buhler's children's book sets and characters will be able to see her work in person once again. The exhibit at <a href="http://www.marktwainhouse.org/">The Mark Twain House and Museum in Hartford, CT opens in October of 2012.</a> We will post more information soon. <br />
<embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="https://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" width="400" height="267" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=https%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2F102974770914909052402%2Falbumid%2F5591581268325702353%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed><span style="font-weight:bold;"><br />
Above: Cynthia von Buhler has exhibited her sets at The Nassau County Museum of Art (Long Island, NY), The Staten Island Museum of Art (Staten Island, NY), The Society of Illustrator's Museum (NY, NY), The Carrozzini von Buhler Gallery (NY, NY), and Books of Wonder (NY, NY).</span><br />
<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9a738cQXw0fCj5Wj_52PsQAzr-3LSO0p3nczb6L_HWVQp8Q3ZpAzcVOI5C_orWn8GunnHRksOqAb5SnLSjgnPtfLF9io6saup5SNJnAyVZ_zb26-m6eUwNfsr6iUvATpeRlFF/s1600/morning_song_sm.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 284px; height: 334px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9a738cQXw0fCj5Wj_52PsQAzr-3LSO0p3nczb6L_HWVQp8Q3ZpAzcVOI5C_orWn8GunnHRksOqAb5SnLSjgnPtfLF9io6saup5SNJnAyVZ_zb26-m6eUwNfsr6iUvATpeRlFF/s400/morning_song_sm.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5591774364710356626" /></a><small><center>A drawing by Mark Twain titled "Morning Song."</small></center><br />
<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0FVarD6uNyVolWeOTuy0J7dLdolEk9SxB0XITjxuvrfFteh7yX985m2lkzoaeR8TBGKXz8LSUamPS15j3b2hQuFLAB_d6ZXKfGUW1QceL2DGNKkiFfhq7tev28POm7W21AqB9/s1600/mark-twains-cat-cool.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 250px; height: 299px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0FVarD6uNyVolWeOTuy0J7dLdolEk9SxB0XITjxuvrfFteh7yX985m2lkzoaeR8TBGKXz8LSUamPS15j3b2hQuFLAB_d6ZXKfGUW1QceL2DGNKkiFfhq7tev28POm7W21AqB9/s400/mark-twains-cat-cool.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5591772317414603042" /></a><small><center>A painting which hangs in Mark Twain's home.</small></center><br />
<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdF5Rm1lFFT9ojp8UU2vXCeuzsrVoT8c6P2nBuQ_BtMt0hJWU61Pbi41IM85GYNoLpb6cXocrZPrq-z59A3E3NEgh-hSJW6OvVPG-KnF2Z_M5A7x9oDNUayZ6dcDzNJ44qkuwe/s1600/p34400-Hartford-Mark_Twain_House.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdF5Rm1lFFT9ojp8UU2vXCeuzsrVoT8c6P2nBuQ_BtMt0hJWU61Pbi41IM85GYNoLpb6cXocrZPrq-z59A3E3NEgh-hSJW6OvVPG-KnF2Z_M5A7x9oDNUayZ6dcDzNJ44qkuwe/s400/p34400-Hartford-Mark_Twain_House.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5591775323985523234" /></a><small><center>Mark Twain's home in Hartford, CT.</center></small>CVBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17342243824603653833noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27842995.post-86521191285403067612011-09-03T09:30:00.001-04:002011-09-03T09:30:47.387-04:00Neil Gaiman Presents Our Evelyn Evelyn Book Trailer<iframe width="560" height="345" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/vGF887Gdias" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>CVBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17342243824603653833noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27842995.post-41726951035028476952011-02-22T16:27:00.004-05:002011-04-22T12:00:41.386-04:00Fairy Tales (with a Twist!) at Portland Stage<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEzwYGRFcHgEsxR4oYHFV2SeYEdyOET0catrKh_EHQtEUEglDnjjyR7HZPAVcHyxotpSMWVn8I_6E6uB1laqANf_MJ2CnHt3Y8qZLdi6oaF2digeE6t4UliVe4KHvQEDU2w2X7/s1600/1_bookcover.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 329px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEzwYGRFcHgEsxR4oYHFV2SeYEdyOET0catrKh_EHQtEUEglDnjjyR7HZPAVcHyxotpSMWVn8I_6E6uB1laqANf_MJ2CnHt3Y8qZLdi6oaF2digeE6t4UliVe4KHvQEDU2w2X7/s400/1_bookcover.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5576626716316722402" /></a><span style="font-weight:bold;"><br /><a href="http://www.butwhowillbellthecats.com">But Who Will Bell the Cats?</a> will be presented as part of <a href="http://www.portlandstage.org/Page.114.Play+Me+a+Story">Portland Stage's Theater for Kids</a> on April 23rd at 10:30.</span> <br /><br /><blockquote>Once upon a time...they all lived happily ever after. Or did they? Join Theater for Kids as we explore the realm of twisted fairy tales and fractured fables. Watch our professional actors turn traditions upside down during the readings, then work on your own fairy tale reinvention during an interactive workshop!<br /><br />April 2 - The Amazing Bone by William Steig<br />April 9 - Cinder Edna by Ellen Jackson<br />April 23 - But Who Will Bell the Cats? by Cynthia von Buhler<br />April 30 - The Frog Prince Continued by Jon Scieszka<br /><br />Theater workshop series starts Saturday April 2nd at 10:30 AM. Sign up your child for the whole series of 5 readings + workshops or choose your favorite, $60 for the series or $15 each. Click <a href="http://www.portlandstage.org/files/Theater_For_Kids/Workshop_Registration_Form_Winter_2011.pdf">here</a> for a registration form, email theaterforkids@portlandstage.org or call 207-774-1043 x117 with questions or to sign up.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.portlandstage.org/Page.114.Play+Me+a+Story">Click here for Portland Stage's Theater for Kids website</a>.</blockquote><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDaV6TzB4cU6-8T9Uvhz6F39GGgFEq1Kj2o6xqf28Ao9jbL7xcVTMWHJVEeM_03Jv5sRzCiz6IzAV36L1qasORhYLecC0EqE2FU2-j3dbHpklzw4KkB57itcszPKBcrOa3f4C6/s1600/logo.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 83px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDaV6TzB4cU6-8T9Uvhz6F39GGgFEq1Kj2o6xqf28Ao9jbL7xcVTMWHJVEeM_03Jv5sRzCiz6IzAV36L1qasORhYLecC0EqE2FU2-j3dbHpklzw4KkB57itcszPKBcrOa3f4C6/s400/logo.gif" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5576631606943319074" /></a>CVBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17342243824603653833noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27842995.post-67657632447008584872010-12-08T23:02:00.010-05:002010-12-08T23:36:02.920-05:00I Had A Marvelous PartyElizabeth Bird, New York public librarian and blogger extraordinaire, was a guest at my birthday party. She blogged about it on the <span style="font-style:italic;">School Library Journal</span> website.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlX2QLoaad7yrezHIztDYOZNSO2S0fLojvoaH8-e2N8MIAd-5Yj1t_Iqyr6-Ex53HparFiKCZjKDPPuGByhINbSwIw5ZXDL8Tyj6UqOs4sIhPSI6i1WcG1jgdqrcKiqUHgLB2X/s1600/Buhler14.jpg.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 297px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlX2QLoaad7yrezHIztDYOZNSO2S0fLojvoaH8-e2N8MIAd-5Yj1t_Iqyr6-Ex53HparFiKCZjKDPPuGByhINbSwIw5ZXDL8Tyj6UqOs4sIhPSI6i1WcG1jgdqrcKiqUHgLB2X/s400/Buhler14.jpg.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5548533219608422258" /></a><center><small>Elizabeth Bird rides the rooftop Merry-Go-Round at my party.</small></center><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF-Z4HoxAHAUlusEzYlJgraXUpZWLntCpHnE0jTYoy5g9hWw1Wjb2yiCqJgxhyphenhyphenhae11qPXskdXfCsVuAmMm3LoAyyrO1Kes3C_QBi_87bKMHgLAyQP8Pf5hzE9iwLNcKGbykph/s1600/SchoolLibraryJournal.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 231px; height: 83px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF-Z4HoxAHAUlusEzYlJgraXUpZWLntCpHnE0jTYoy5g9hWw1Wjb2yiCqJgxhyphenhyphenhae11qPXskdXfCsVuAmMm3LoAyyrO1Kes3C_QBi_87bKMHgLAyQP8Pf5hzE9iwLNcKGbykph/s400/SchoolLibraryJournal.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5548535626039676450" /></a><br />From "I've Been To A Marvelous Party" by Elizabeth Bird, <span style="font-style:italic;">School Library Journal</span>, 10/12/10:<br /><blockquote>That was Party #1. I have begun with the low-key party because I feel that if I began with Party #2 you would be disinclined to believe me about it. Here is a taste of what I am talking about:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh71ncX6vvVN8mUlhd93uUhyM57dOMdrx-CamT98SlT61bZqqC-shRKRRRiVAcWAJ5fz6XBN1wsVWcG8YdNtGD-SRAzxgFZa5lUZD9CmLWy4yZtU2rcNlksT3Cyq1DxUAMCcYd5/s1600/Buhler2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 299px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh71ncX6vvVN8mUlhd93uUhyM57dOMdrx-CamT98SlT61bZqqC-shRKRRRiVAcWAJ5fz6XBN1wsVWcG8YdNtGD-SRAzxgFZa5lUZD9CmLWy4yZtU2rcNlksT3Cyq1DxUAMCcYd5/s400/Buhler2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5548532966032191154" /></a><center><small>Lemony Snicket rides the rooftop Merry-Go-Round at my party.</small></center><br />Do you know what you are looking at? Alas, you do not. It is a dark picture and I’ve found that Android phones don’t quite match iPhones in terms of picture quality. Well in any case you are looking at Daniel Handler a.k.a. Lemony Snicket on the roof of a penthouse, sitting on a merry-go-round built for two (complete with animatronic monkeys and a bubble machine) as he merrily sings in the shadow of The Empire State Building. THAT is what you are looking at.<br /><br />You see, I have over the years made the acquaintance of a very fine, very fascinating, very interesting young lady. She is known as Cynthia von Buhler, and you may know her best as the mad genius behind the intense picture book But Who Will Bell the Cats? which came out a year or so ago. A performance artist, artist artist, and friend of the wandering musician, Ms. von Buhler was kind enough to invite me to her recent FREAKS party. The thing is, if I tell you what went on it’s best that I mention everything seen in a list. That way it’s a bit more manageable.</blockquote><br /><center><span style="font-weight:bold;">Continue to read this article <a href="http://blog.schoollibraryjournal.com/afuse8production/2010/10/12/ive-been-to-a-marvelous-party/">HERE</a>.</span></center>CVBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17342243824603653833noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27842995.post-23399395274332431402010-08-04T18:55:00.002-04:002010-08-04T18:58:45.554-04:00Life Imitating ArtLast night my cats caught a bat. I rescued it and it flew out a window. It had a little hole in one wing, but it seemed to be flying well. This is a perfect example of life imitating art. See my display window at Books of Wonder which features cats trying to catch bats.<object style="background-image:url(http://i2.ytimg.com/vi/yAY42KevsX8/hqdefault.jpg)" width="480" height="295"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/yAY42KevsX8&hl=en_US&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/yAY42KevsX8&hl=en_US&fs=1" width="480" height="295" allowScriptAccess="never" allowFullScreen="true" wmode="transparent" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"></embed></object>8CVBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17342243824603653833noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27842995.post-49943933553435356422010-08-01T21:43:00.003-04:002010-08-01T21:54:49.203-04:00Kids Bring an Aesop Fable to Life With Dioramas - DNAinfo.com<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUD9_K6COGCzqvHKu26phjZdDkff_PbJGyDZgzwtcgMckVolpxs3p2lUoDV45eXHzOztEMCcTf7UsQNaT8jwMUmZipNVdNx94GfdaovIjLMXAM1E-d3YNTeukbCP0oecDvzdnh/s1600/IMG_5023.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUD9_K6COGCzqvHKu26phjZdDkff_PbJGyDZgzwtcgMckVolpxs3p2lUoDV45eXHzOztEMCcTf7UsQNaT8jwMUmZipNVdNx94GfdaovIjLMXAM1E-d3YNTeukbCP0oecDvzdnh/s400/IMG_5023.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5500625114287189154" /></a><br />Click <a href="http://dnainfo.com/20100726/gramercy-flatiron-union-square/kids-bring-aesop-fable-life-with-dioramas/slideshow/popup/28606">HERE</a> to watch the slideshow.CVBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17342243824603653833noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27842995.post-62841670287858964012010-07-08T13:16:00.002-04:002010-07-08T13:19:15.187-04:00A Video of my Books of Wonder Animatronic Window DisplayThanks to Carl Divito for shooting this video and placing it on YouTube. <object width="640" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/fDD9L3RhVOo&hl=en_US&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/fDD9L3RhVOo&hl=en_US&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object>CVBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17342243824603653833noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27842995.post-19999542098739131562010-06-21T13:35:00.009-04:002010-07-08T12:55:47.194-04:00July Issue: Time Out NY Kids Feature on Cynthia von Buhler - Written by Elizabeth Bird<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_b4lrSJG8-Dnuoa2kazyBNoOs62KPSjdFH1mYjirfqsYQHeneC0TpnprXZBg3B5RDBLke2EkMI5SqJx77dGP9FlbKP81vu8hpq4Y9BTBu4v_rDLL31mwJGV0mw40xHG7D1BLc/s1600/Cynthia_von_Buhler_smaller.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 279px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_b4lrSJG8-Dnuoa2kazyBNoOs62KPSjdFH1mYjirfqsYQHeneC0TpnprXZBg3B5RDBLke2EkMI5SqJx77dGP9FlbKP81vu8hpq4Y9BTBu4v_rDLL31mwJGV0mw40xHG7D1BLc/s400/Cynthia_von_Buhler_smaller.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5485282391466157858" /></a><br /><br /><blockquote><span style="font-weight:bold;">Cat fancy<br />An artist brings her latest feline-centric story to life at Books of Wonder. <br /><br />Note: The slideshow is now up on the Time Out Kids website. See it <a href="http://newyorkkids.timeout.com/articles/books/86592/illustrator-cynthia-von-buhlers-window-display-at-books-of-wonder">HERE</a>.<br /> </span><br />Called “one of the top contemporary surrealists” by Art & Antiques magazine, Cynthia von Buhler boasts a résumé that includes painting, sculpture, performance and video projection, for which she uses materials and media such as living fauna, collage, and electronic audio. Her art has been published everywhere from The New Yorker to Rolling Stone, but she’s also become renowned for her children’s books.<br /><br />After working on titles for other authors, beginning with 1998’s Little Girl in a Red Dress with Cat and Dog, Von Buhler—who lives in a castle-like home on Staten Island—has gone on to write and illustrate her own stories. The first, The Cat Who Wouldn’t Come Inside (Houghton Mifflin, 2006), was based on the artist’s encounter with a stray; she created the scenes by photographing dioramas in her childhood dollhouse.<br /><br />For her next book, But Who Will Bell the Cats? (Houghton Mifflin, 2009), a riff on Aesop’s fable, Von Buhler acted as set builder, painter, sculptor, gardener, plumber and mason. An elaborate concoction of sumptuous interiors photographed in a model castle, the book is impressive in every detail, from the chateau’s real stone walls to the floors she crafted from inlaid wood, mother-of-pearl and plaster.<br /><br />City kids can visit the world of Bell the Cats this summer, when Von Buhler re-creates the story in Books of Wonder’s storefront, using sets that appear in the book.<br />Life-size animated characters from the tale, among them a kitty maid in Alice-in-Wonderland garb, will play with the paper dolls and furniture—like children decorating a dollhouse.<br /><br />DIY types have a chance to work with the artist on their own mini sets. The rest of us can consider the display a summertime version of NYC’s opulent holiday windows—and there’s no reason such a glorious tradition should be confined to the winter.<br />Books of Wonder, 18 W 18 St between Fifth and Sixth Aves (212-989-3270, booksofwonder.com). Display will be on view July1–Aug 30. - EB</blockquote> See the <span style="font-style:italic;">Time Out NY Kids</span> article <a href="http://newyorkkids.timeout.com/articles/books/86592/but-who-will-bell-the-cats-a-window-display-at-books-of-wonder">HERE.</a> Coming soon: Pictures and a video of the actual window display.CVBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17342243824603653833noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27842995.post-21609702351316900592010-05-25T00:05:00.005-04:002010-05-25T00:18:40.276-04:00Cynthia von Buhler Presents an Animated Window Display & Dollhouse Diorama Workshop at Manhattan’s Books of Wonder.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUs2v7ubl1YplzmceKNEFj_-sXKJJi264fi0nynFlNEJvgjOlDJUtPm8ql815rYyiXc_en__0K-ZjY-Au0E25RXalQXTSAjymUmLduBrHl0aLmYUho1edGsw8ydxL8oD7F-LiU/s1600/alicecatdetail.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 358px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUs2v7ubl1YplzmceKNEFj_-sXKJJi264fi0nynFlNEJvgjOlDJUtPm8ql815rYyiXc_en__0K-ZjY-Au0E25RXalQXTSAjymUmLduBrHl0aLmYUho1edGsw8ydxL8oD7F-LiU/s400/alicecatdetail.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475054778818303282" /></a>Meet Cynthia, get your books signed, and have your picture taken <br />with characters from the book.<br /><br />Children’s book author and illustrator Cynthia von Buhler is creating an animated window display featuring handmade sets and painted characters from her children’s book But Who Will Bell the Cats? for Books of Wonder bookstore in Manhattan. The elaborate window will be on display from July 1 through August 30, 2010.<br /><br />Dollhouse Diorama and Paper Doll Workshops – Free (with book purchase)! <br />Sunday, July 25, 2010 from 12 NOON – 2PM.<br />Monday, July 26, 2010 from 12 NOON – 2PM<br />Tuesday, July 27, 2010 from 6PM – 8PM<br /><br />Come to Books of Wonder and learn to how to make a dollhouse room from a shoebox. Cynthia von Buhler’s characters and castle rooms will be available as pre-printed full-color sheets for children to cut out and make into their own dollhouse diorama. Please bring a standard shoebox with you to the workshop. The author/illustrator will also be signing books. Characters from But Who Will Bell the Cats will make an appearance at the events and will give away free bells on ribbon for children to wear around their necks (as supplies last).<br /><br />The workshop is free for anyone who purchases Cynthia von Buhler’s books, But Who Will Bell the Cats? or The Cat Who Wouldn’t Come Inside, from Books of Wonder the day of the event(s). Space is limited. <span style="font-weight:bold;">Please R.S.V.P. by emailing hannah@drawbridge.com. T</span>he events are limited to 30 children per day. Children are required to bring a shoebox and a parent or guardian to assist them. Books of Wonder, 18 West 18th Street, NY, NY, 10011, (212)989-3270, www.booksofwonder.com <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUJo5hb5-c0-nwL1sxEIPqHxJ8nNMZ7rBfP4G-tTufZoZmj_m0BQtoWlf8r9eQk3yMp7L2c3R9YMPhO8U34RshcKpJtass5ex371XMFgtYzS016PxucG0GzneFJqlvNW_iKc4-/s1600/asmaller_DSC5229.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 162px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUJo5hb5-c0-nwL1sxEIPqHxJ8nNMZ7rBfP4G-tTufZoZmj_m0BQtoWlf8r9eQk3yMp7L2c3R9YMPhO8U34RshcKpJtass5ex371XMFgtYzS016PxucG0GzneFJqlvNW_iKc4-/s400/asmaller_DSC5229.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475054229105210258" /></a><span style="font-weight:bold;">Recent reviews from But Who Will Bell the Cats?</span><br />My library’s secret weapon from here on in…Beautiful and haunting with the kinds of images kids will pore over." - Betsy Bird, Children's Librarian at The New York Public Library<br /><br />"Destined to earn the ‘classic’ label." - Urban Baby <br /><br />"this story of an indefatigable mouse should find a welcome place on the shelves of any castle...or library."- Horn Book<br /><br />"Children will find a lot to discover in the details, even after repeated readings". - School Library Journal<br /><br />“Young readers will pore over this one again and again." – KirkusCVBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17342243824603653833noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27842995.post-48119550974300992292010-03-22T16:45:00.001-04:002010-03-22T16:45:26.305-04:00Trailer for But Who Will Bell the Cats?Click <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0TWm4BG5gxI">HERE</a> to go to YouTube to watch it. Blogger seems to want to cut it off on the right.<object width="640" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/0TWm4BG5gxI&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/0TWm4BG5gxI&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object>CVBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17342243824603653833noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27842995.post-45465028468126581132009-12-26T17:48:00.005-05:002009-12-26T17:58:37.788-05:00PlanetEsme: "Dramatic in story and distinctive in style, this book is a stand-out."<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuKXM-epcli9DK-SbM_Jm8o7Ica-Vw2ZpLHEPbYAsCwH23_tQdylPoZebx29KFIYMtUfXABlb2C31JIxif117QFz7I8r3uOVgkhUqq2ygjdc3AR6dhT0r3j8-VUmAbYoz6_u9C/s1600-h/BedroomSpread.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 326px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuKXM-epcli9DK-SbM_Jm8o7Ica-Vw2ZpLHEPbYAsCwH23_tQdylPoZebx29KFIYMtUfXABlb2C31JIxif117QFz7I8r3uOVgkhUqq2ygjdc3AR6dhT0r3j8-VUmAbYoz6_u9C/s400/BedroomSpread.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5419681487722049138" /></a><small><center>Click on the image to enlarge it.</small></center><br />This original and haunting treatment of Aesop's fable is really two simultaneous stories that converge at rhythmic intervals, like a well-choreographed quadrille. Double-page spreads with upper and lower levels reveal the cats roaming a castle while a mouse lives in squalor. After a series of failed attempts by Mouse and his friend Bat, the resident princess shows them a kindness, inspiring the clever mouse to use the princess's birthday as the perfect diplomatic opportunity to bell the cats once and for all. A unique technique of placing illustrated cut-outs in sets of actual miniatures and then photographing them creates scenes of surprising depth and perspective. Dramatic in story and distinctive in style, this book is a stand-out. (7 and up) - Esme Codell, <a href="http://planetesme.blogspot.com/2009/12/snow-white-picture-book-and-seasons.html">PlanetEsme Blog</a>CVBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17342243824603653833noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27842995.post-28440171853066973052009-12-26T17:43:00.004-05:002009-12-26T17:54:03.238-05:00Curled Up With A Good Kid's Book - "This is a book to buy and read over and over again."<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTGvea6rKt1QC2aZ2C8iIzihSOdkZcaXyzsC2pjC27FeBKmwfzm6BiyT-gOdjC56ntJC6UD_FV2iNwvgXlCqs8phUp8ZG6WjCxB-8Kj0gaYU7JgRJtt-usRuVPAeIBqcsfgL7b/s1600-h/Finalinteriorcover.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 160px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTGvea6rKt1QC2aZ2C8iIzihSOdkZcaXyzsC2pjC27FeBKmwfzm6BiyT-gOdjC56ntJC6UD_FV2iNwvgXlCqs8phUp8ZG6WjCxB-8Kj0gaYU7JgRJtt-usRuVPAeIBqcsfgL7b/s400/Finalinteriorcover.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5419680561186545634" /></a><small><center>Click on the image to enlarge it.</small></center><br />Cynthia Von Buhler provides a clever and witty take on the age-old question from Aesop’s fables - “But who will bell the cats?” - in the book of the same name.<br /><br />In a dark, beautiful castle high upon a hill lives a princess with her eight pampered and not-so-nice cats; in the dingy cellar below live Mouse and his dear friend Brown Bat. While the cats dine at banquets and sleep in soft, perfumed beds, Mouse and Brown Bat make do with crumbs that fall through the floorboard and makeshift beds devised from matchboxes and smelly old socks. Some of the pages show the contrasting lives of the denizens of the upstairs and that of the cellar in two split images, which makes for an interesting and even amusing counterpoint.<br /><br />Mouse is determined to make his way upstairs to avail himself of the luxurious life enjoyed by the cats. To do that, he must attach bells around the cats’ collars to serve as a warning of their proximity. This proves to be a perilous task (requiring frequent rescuing by Brown Bat) until Mouse finally hits upon an ingenious way to bell the cats.<br /><br />Von Buhler has created an elegant, richly textured and detailed rendering of the interior of the castle. The unusual depth and layering to the artwork was achieved by creating original 3-D sets that were populated with paper cutout figures and photographed to achieve the desired visual effect. The multimedia collage art, edged in gilt and crafted with incredible attention to detail, makes for a strikingly gorgeous fairy tale book. The simple text does its job - which is to say, to move the story forward while not detracting from the artwork that is the real star here.<br /><br />No detail is missed in the making of this book: in case the dust jacket gets lost or mangled as often happens with children’s books, the inside cover of the book features beautiful art so that the book can be displayed even without the dust jacket. This is a book to buy and read over and over again. - <a href="http://www.curledupkids.com/bellcats.html">Curled Up With A Good Kid's Book</a>CVBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17342243824603653833noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27842995.post-46653461992725162322009-12-14T13:01:00.003-05:002009-12-26T17:54:33.544-05:00Cynthia von Buhler Signs With Eddie Gamarra & Hollywood Management Agency, The Gotham Group<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh66oBEIGyGrBYroZPcwM1GVtITFSv_Yr_xr1YB6id538tB-5W9nm2TlnNiPYl_V7oS8YKRfguQccqFusRwIDd63xKVvw7BTyGeik7-JulfCYBkODmLKMgEkzhy55g8gj_l_KXs/s1600-h/HolidayCard.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 295px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh66oBEIGyGrBYroZPcwM1GVtITFSv_Yr_xr1YB6id538tB-5W9nm2TlnNiPYl_V7oS8YKRfguQccqFusRwIDd63xKVvw7BTyGeik7-JulfCYBkODmLKMgEkzhy55g8gj_l_KXs/s400/HolidayCard.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5412389536061011282" /></a><small><center>Click on the image to enlarge it.</small></center><br />The author and artist plans to create concepts for animated films and children's television programs.<br /><br />Cynthia von Buhler created this snow globe featuring characters from her children's book <a href="http://butwhowillbellthecats.com">But Who Will Bell the Cats?</a> for The Gotham Group's holiday card. The city in the background is their logo.CVBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17342243824603653833noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27842995.post-20985640053358183852009-12-14T12:52:00.004-05:002009-12-15T00:52:40.456-05:00But Who Will Bell the Cats? Is Nominated For A Cybil Award, 2009The book is nominated in the Fiction Picture Books category. Visit the <a href="http://dadtalk.typepad.com/cybils/">Cybil'</a>s site for more information.CVBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17342243824603653833noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27842995.post-78503095242119227562009-12-14T01:40:00.009-05:002009-12-26T17:54:57.268-05:00Grand Rapids Living: "Truly the cat’s meow."<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtsG2X2VsnaMjqpbGtcFBRtwKmqZ4b58Q-XzA3Ln6aZJNyfHel_z0h6LjHUuuhPgR9aL8QZN92VCv135zSis4LnhxhRA1PNs8XDkFRJ48s-kNO4zkhPOkSuPJgroGBRzNvQrrI/s1600-h/6_castle_exterior.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 334px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtsG2X2VsnaMjqpbGtcFBRtwKmqZ4b58Q-XzA3Ln6aZJNyfHel_z0h6LjHUuuhPgR9aL8QZN92VCv135zSis4LnhxhRA1PNs8XDkFRJ48s-kNO4zkhPOkSuPJgroGBRzNvQrrI/s400/6_castle_exterior.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5414981409098828754" /></a><small><center>Click on the image to enlarge it.</small></center><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Royal cats no match for clever mouse in 'But Who Will Bell the Cats?'</span><br /><br />“But Who Will Bell the Cats?” written and illustrated by Cynthia von Buhler, is truly the cat’s meow and my idea of a fantastic picture book. (Houghton Mifflin, $16, ages 4-9)<br /><br />Everything is here — exciting art, an engaging story, even a happy ending. Based on Aesop’s fables, this is a story of cats and mice, of have and have-nots and of a clever, determined mouse that solves an age-old problem.<br /><br />The tale begins with the princess and her eight pampered cats living upstairs in style, taking bubble baths and sleeping on perfumed pillows, while Mouse and his friend Brown Bat live in the dingy downstairs fending for themselves. Mouse wants more; he wants to live the good life with the cats.<br /><br />Mouse figures he needs to find a way to put a collar of bells around the royal cats, so he can be easily warned when his greatest enemy approaches. <br /><br />Readers see a palace split into two worlds — upstairs and downstairs. A little storybook magic, combined with three-dimensional scenes, capture imaginations.<br /><br />Kids will enjoy discovering how Mouse figures out a creative plan that work. - Gina Gilligan Read the article HERE: <a href="http://fwix.com/share/28_74045fe84e">HERE</a>.CVBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17342243824603653833noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27842995.post-26155909668686643242009-12-14T01:33:00.004-05:002009-12-14T01:48:18.863-05:00Toledo Blade: "Her use of detail is amazing. A delightful experience!"<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdfOOLGC39rVnj_5PLwdL-A9-ngsJigsaD5Nla-zdQBlm4iHQP1SYILmYrjGk7aqKixx2vmta2PFDRQoEHMQ-4hKTO3qjg9gFBkHZJrHRAmiIKbCYMlHHHWcvY2B6EG_nMnkfe/s1600-h/CvB-BellCatsPostcardFRONT-1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 180px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdfOOLGC39rVnj_5PLwdL-A9-ngsJigsaD5Nla-zdQBlm4iHQP1SYILmYrjGk7aqKixx2vmta2PFDRQoEHMQ-4hKTO3qjg9gFBkHZJrHRAmiIKbCYMlHHHWcvY2B6EG_nMnkfe/s400/CvB-BellCatsPostcardFRONT-1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5414979824926646834" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><span style="font-weight:bold;">Kids books: Magic for the holidays and everyday</span></span><br /><br />Count on these books to be welcome holiday gifts that will last long past their giving. Memorable characters, original plots, and vivid settings make these books fine choices.<br /><br />The story is based on Aesop's familiar fable: who will bell the cats? The illustrations, however, are unique. In the dark basement of the castle, Mouse and his friend Brown Bat exist on leftover crumbs. Upstairs the Princess and her cats enjoy lavish meals. Mouse is convinced that the roles would be reversed if only the cats had bells on their collars. Finally he comes up with the perfect solution. The illustrations were constructed by hand as theater sets. Cynthia von Buhler's work has been displayed in several museums. Her use of detail is amazing. A delightful experience! (BSJ) Read the full article <a href="http://toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20091213/ART02/912139992">HERE</a>.CVBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17342243824603653833noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27842995.post-6021842799892316692009-12-07T02:25:00.007-05:002009-12-07T02:37:18.691-05:00Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast: "This is one stylin’ book, and it’s like nothing I’ve seen this year."<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqHQZiWk8oER8SgkjOkBED16LksmRnQA190HbiYHxyYaEwr56v-hZ-ur38gWL9NwKh9hfZTd3FEGW5E-ndqXR-3x4GesVHmA76ydvoagfYlzUnb5qQxubpesSOSyAsPZMvtll-/s1600-h/author_illus2300dpia.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 329px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqHQZiWk8oER8SgkjOkBED16LksmRnQA190HbiYHxyYaEwr56v-hZ-ur38gWL9NwKh9hfZTd3FEGW5E-ndqXR-3x4GesVHmA76ydvoagfYlzUnb5qQxubpesSOSyAsPZMvtll-/s400/author_illus2300dpia.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5412395093852690882" /></a><br /><small><center>Click on the image to enlarge it.</small></center><br />This is author/illustrator Cynthia von Buhler’s self-portrait-slash-doll. I invited Cynthia to 7-Imp this morning to share some art from her latest title, the downright luxurious But Who Will Bell the Cats? (Houghton Mifflin Books for Children; September 2009). This title has been met with such lavish reviews as: “Dark, complicated mixed-media illustrations bring a humorously creepy feel to the tale…this story of an indefatigable mouse should find a welcome place on the shelves of any castle…or library” (Horn Book); “Children will find a lot to discover in the details, even after repeated readings” (School Library Journal); “Beautiful and haunting with the kinds of images kids will pore over, there ain’t nothing like it out there today. A new fable in an all-new style” (Betsy Bird at A Fuse #8 Production); “Young readers will pore over this one again and again” (Kirkus)…Oh, I could go on.<br /><br />You all know the old Aesop fable, The Mice in Council, about the discussion of belling the cat by those poor mice. Cynthia has embellished this tale with inimitable style, rendered in detailed multimedia collage, adding a stately castle, a princess, an impoverished mouse and his sidekick friend, the Bat, and much more to the tale.<br /><br />Including gilt. Lots of it. “(W)ouldn’t it be nice to give a princess-obsessed child something gorgeous to the eye with a truly original concept, story, and look, but without the standard pretty pretty princess conceit?” wrote Betsy Bird. Enter Cynthia. This is one stylin’ book, and it’s like nothing I’ve seen this year.<br /><br />I’ve gotten to where I don’t even like to post about picture books anymore unless I can in some way show some art from it. The added extra benefit of that is I can shut my trap and let the art speak for itself. Or, in this morning’s case, let the artist, as well, tell you in her own words all about the book — and her creative process in bringing it to us. So, without further ado, here’s Cynthia, and I thank her for visiting. - Jules, Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast. Read the whole article <a href="http://blaine.org/sevenimpossiblethings/?p=1849">HERE</a>.CVBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17342243824603653833noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27842995.post-30607043141107215852009-11-09T00:40:00.000-05:002009-11-09T00:41:01.742-05:00Kirkus Reviews: "Young readers will pore over this one again and again."<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlyQ5bLXfIpetZEiEM_4sfHvzxmaZHJeW2qlNOQVZ0CEjXarcegTYJRYQUQ7LLYRn-v39EAPWIHkP6widD4UdzB6TCfSyItzMcBpUSUWiTmqsBTtH3-91FUG236cOEUIt9rB_J/s1600-h/small_frontcoverwithtype.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 384px; height: 317px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlyQ5bLXfIpetZEiEM_4sfHvzxmaZHJeW2qlNOQVZ0CEjXarcegTYJRYQUQ7LLYRn-v39EAPWIHkP6widD4UdzB6TCfSyItzMcBpUSUWiTmqsBTtH3-91FUG236cOEUIt9rB_J/s400/small_frontcoverwithtype.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5387430038239060338" /></a><small><center>Click on the image to enlarge it.</small></center><br />August, 2009:<br /><blockquote>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. Of course he is spotted each time and subjected to much humiliation by the cats. The Princess’s unexpected kindness inspires the mouse’s final, successful plan. It’s an upstairs-downstairs scenario carried through in every way, the spreads frequently split in two horizontally to show the contrast. The typeface is appropriate to the location, heavy and bright in the Princess’s rooms, while thin and pale in the mouse’s quarters. The action is richly illustrated in profusely detailed multimedia collage, framed in ornate gilt, which again emphasizes the differences in the lifestyles of the characters. The upstairs scenes glow in lavish, bright gold tones, and the downstairs scenes are dark and gloomy. Young readers will pore over this one again and again. (Picture book. 5-8) - Kirkus Reviews</blockquote>CVBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17342243824603653833noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27842995.post-5292119353214425792009-11-09T00:31:00.003-05:002009-11-09T00:45:30.862-05:00A Fuse #8 Production: "My library’s secret weapon from here on in"..."Beautiful and haunting with the kinds of images kids will pore over."<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCHvxIFiOIgW5gTD_6s2EItOLzPsD_bNPzZSIWSXv_NT3tfElm9Vwhg0kF_ISU-AfU-KUcX0bDcHKfvFmat-LyEDZYPgqr2NHu9tquk9x-I206siO6_Rez-29MHbvEe9smgDOH/s1600-h/DinnerSpread.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 326px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCHvxIFiOIgW5gTD_6s2EItOLzPsD_bNPzZSIWSXv_NT3tfElm9Vwhg0kF_ISU-AfU-KUcX0bDcHKfvFmat-LyEDZYPgqr2NHu9tquk9x-I206siO6_Rez-29MHbvEe9smgDOH/s400/DinnerSpread.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361060443897151842" /></a><small><center>Click on the image to enlarge it.</small></center><br /><blockquote>What’s wrong with a little gilt? A little jewelry, fanciness, lace, velvet, and champagne? Nothing, really. It just depends on how it’s done. I get these little girls in my library all the time requesting “princess” stories, and truth be told what they really want is something gorgeous to the eye. They’re the kinds of gals who drool over the Fancy Nancy books and sit hypnotized by the work of Kinuko Y Craft. Sometimes it’s enough to drive a good old-fashioned feminist up the wall. Not like I was any different when I was a tot, but wouldn’t it be nice to give a princess-obsessed child something gorgeous to the eye with a truly original concept, story, and look, but without the standard pretty pretty princess conceit? Is it wrong that I sometimes want to blow a four-year-old’s mind? I’ve come to the decision that Cynthia von Buhler’s But Who Will Bell the Cats? is going to be my library’s secret weapon from here on in. I’ve already got my explanation at the ready. “Oh! You want a princess story? Have you read the one about the princess who owns eight beautiful cats and the little mouse who lives in the basement below?” It’s the old one-two punch. Lure ‘em in with promises of princesses and kitties, then hit ‘em with good storytelling and stunning visuals. They’ll never see it coming. <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSHDCKin8TNEVA7hOyIMAD_mr1ORFMZUPZd3zNSv9LrhEd6uftMstTaQzfSR-q0GtEgQ4KBLIhg5WAJSIog_mdsg_99iw395vanI7yitS4Dh-5SqA1zdhgRgOXibHY_De42HS8/s1600-h/NewMouseShower.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 114px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSHDCKin8TNEVA7hOyIMAD_mr1ORFMZUPZd3zNSv9LrhEd6uftMstTaQzfSR-q0GtEgQ4KBLIhg5WAJSIog_mdsg_99iw395vanI7yitS4Dh-5SqA1zdhgRgOXibHY_De42HS8/s400/NewMouseShower.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5387439078059813202" /></a><small><center>Click on the image to enlarge it.</small></center><br />The book begins with a quickie two-page recap of the old Aesop fable in which the mice decide to bell the cat. A couple pages later we read the real story. For you see there once was a princess who owned eight beautiful cats and doted on them all. Down below in her cellar there lived a mouse and a brown bat. While the cats lived in luxury the mouse and bat dwelled in the dank. The mouse then determines that his only course of action is to bell the cats and live in the prettier parts of the castle with them. The first time he tries it he wears armor. He fails. The second time he dresses up like a dog. He fails. The third time he puts on a fashion show for the cats and almost ends up in a pie before the princess walks in and saves both him and the bat. Finally, the mouse determines the best way to bell the cats. One that will allow him to attend the princess’s birthday party and live in the lap of luxury once and for all. And it's all thanks to his crown-wearing partner in crime. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCzRXJ2whifCO68BTk65rwuzF9FbCNg2tpvbqjaLE4mhz9ct0g2Gkl53ll8pEPh_QwCeKALF2JLnvG83hsaREMwG3RMTH2vvf3a-cBY-2k43z05pynvbvpC1ssXgLZpcNJ8T2B/s1600-h/small_DSC5498.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 326px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCzRXJ2whifCO68BTk65rwuzF9FbCNg2tpvbqjaLE4mhz9ct0g2Gkl53ll8pEPh_QwCeKALF2JLnvG83hsaREMwG3RMTH2vvf3a-cBY-2k43z05pynvbvpC1ssXgLZpcNJ8T2B/s400/small_DSC5498.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5387401462098373858" /></a><small><center>Click on the image to enlarge it.</small></center><br /><br />From the title, a person might assume that this book was just going to be a longer interpretation of the old Aesop fable. After all, 2009 has seen several Aesop fables expanded into full-length picture books (The Lion and the Mouse, Lousy Rotten Stinkin’ Grapes, etc.). It actually came as a bit of a relief to find that von Buhler had gone a different route and just used the fable as a jumping off point. The story is original and suits the visual format quite well. As for the writing itself, the words play with descriptions nicely. The mouse inhabits a world filled with terms like “dark, dingy den” or “chilly chamber” or “drafty” or “damp”. The cats, in a nice contrast, bandy about with words like “elegant” or “perfumed”. If you were to read this book aloud to a room full of kids without showing them the pictures, they would have little difficulty envisioning where it takes place. I doubt that they’d imagine anything quite as visually stimulating as what von Buhler has conjured up here, though. <br /><br />Combining illustration and models to tell folk and fairytales isn’t a new concept (Lauren Child’s The Princess and the Pea being but one example) but von Buhler clearly takes the notion to a whole other level. Characters in each scene are illustrated two-dimensional figures placed in a three-dimensional world of models and objects. Shooting each scene with her Nikon D300, von Buhler manages to persuade the eyes of her readers that these creatures really have a kind of depth to them. Her choice of layouts also reveals the thought taken for each spread. Where folks like Child will fill entire pages in a book with a single scene, von Buhler likes to shake things up a little. In comparing the cats’ lives to the mouse’s, pages are split into two parts with the cats at the top and the mouse squished into the lower third. Views of individual scenes are sometimes shot from the front and sometimes from above (as when the bat has to distract some Ping-Pong playing cats with a straw hat and cane accessorized song and dance). And the lighting both above and below is remarkable. There’s a tangible warmth to the palace scenes, while you can practically smell the cold stone and musty wet walls where the mouse and bat are forced to reside. <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNqe7hM-gG4I2sI2Nua1OVg2lcjvQwG9VoJubmAamC979E4hpAeQ556t-bEVmTz8U7rjxl-bJJsNkueOVFImHRGLRanPfG8UWZklXyWZe6i9E3XzS9fbPweO7dOYGbfrwUNxQNAg/s1600-h/smallfinal_DSC4771.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNqe7hM-gG4I2sI2Nua1OVg2lcjvQwG9VoJubmAamC979E4hpAeQ556t-bEVmTz8U7rjxl-bJJsNkueOVFImHRGLRanPfG8UWZklXyWZe6i9E3XzS9fbPweO7dOYGbfrwUNxQNAg/s400/smallfinal_DSC4771.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5258247860014706210" /></a><small><center>Click on the image to enlarge it.</small></center><br />The attention to detail goes beyond the sets, of course. Clothing also plays a surprising role in the story. The very first two-page spread is a quickie encapsulation of the old Aesop tale this book takes its title from. In the scene, the mice are depicted as wearing clothing reminiscent of ancient Greece (albeit with fancy pearls). Then you fast forward in time and see the outfits of the mouse and the cats. Since the felines are living off the fat of the land they’re prone to sporting everything from top hats and crowns to preppy hockey wear. The mouse, on the other hand, tends to be garbed in drabber utilitarian fare. Patched sweaters and thick green scarves. And then there are the fonts. Nobody ever pays enough attention to fonts in picture books, but von Buhler sure does. When the text is in the light and airy castle it’s set in the extravagant and fancy Salmiak. Down below where the mouse and bat dwell, though, it suddenly becomes the almost handwritten First Grade. <br /><br />Scale is a little difficult to determine here. The princess appears to be approximately the same size as the cats while the mouse and bat aren’t much shorter, though supposedly they should be small enough to be used as hockey pucks and ping pong balls by the cats. So that was a bit confusing. More sense could be made of the shadows in individual scenes. As a general rule, von Buhler pays close attention to the source of the light in any given scene. For example, when the mouse and bat are discussing various plans in the basement, their light comes from a single candle on a nearby workbench. In these scenes, shadows appear sharply on the dank stone walls. When scenes take place in the slightly more ambient light above in the palace, however, then the shadows dissipate with more frequency. <br /><br />Once in a while a consumer needs a kick in the pants to remind them that picture books aren’t something “easy” than any old celebrity with a pen can write. Some of them take a backbreakingly long time to create and use up more blood, sweat, and tears than anyone might conceivably imagine. It’s only through true dedication on the part of the artist that you get something as visually inspiring as But Who Will Bell the Cats? Beautiful and haunting with the kinds of images kids will pore over, there ain’t nothing like it out there today. A new fable in an all-new style. - Elizabeth Bird, Children's Librarian, The New York Public Library, New York City and blogger for For A Fuse #8 Production, <a href="http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/blog/1790000379/post/1440048544.htmlq=cat">School Library Journal</a>, and <a href="ttp://www.publishersweekly.com/blog/1790000379/post/1440048544.html">Publisher's Weekly</a>.</blockquote>CVBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17342243824603653833noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27842995.post-91046219754882387732009-11-09T00:29:00.001-05:002009-12-26T17:53:21.397-05:00Horn Book: "this story of an indefatigable mouse should find a welcome place on the shelves of any castle...or library."September/October issue: <br /><blockquote>Von Buhler’s droll upstairs/downstairs tale is introduced by the Aesop’s fable on the value of belling a cat—and the danger to the mouse who dared do it. Here the mouse hero and his brown bat friend live in the cellar of a castle, while the princess and her eight pampered cats live a life of opulence upstairs. The cats have plenty to eat, safe places to sleep, books to read, and fancy parties to attend; Mouse and Brown Bat live on scraps, sleep in boxes, and bathe under a drainpipe. But Mouse is not without wiles. He is constantly scheming to put bells around the cats’ necks so they can be detected, leaving Mouse and Brown Bat free to enjoy the splendors of the castle. Mouse’s many plans fall flat until he finally figures out how to use the sweet princess to do his work. Dark, complicated mixed-media illustrations bring a humorously creepy feel to the tale. A fancy typeface for the upstairs story contrasts nicely with the pseudo-handwritten type accompanying Mouse’s story...this story of an indefatigable mouse should find a welcome place on the shelves of any castle...or library. - r.l.s. Horn Book</blockquote>CVBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17342243824603653833noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27842995.post-83722321587468635612009-11-09T00:27:00.000-05:002009-11-09T00:28:38.828-05:00School Library Journal - "Children will find a lot to discover in the details, even after repeated readings".<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdR2fvzjiB-t4QH0Uz42wST1wtjKGxYy7SnH9HJC47Ix5HRbco-C4W4DDkxvx0cGuEukCZM705oprGcw37OnU7pbLBUzud6JVykslkNn62UeXOxb-fgxO_dJOZ4UXPEBbKzolN/s1600-h/pg2and3_Aesop_DSC4248.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 163px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdR2fvzjiB-t4QH0Uz42wST1wtjKGxYy7SnH9HJC47Ix5HRbco-C4W4DDkxvx0cGuEukCZM705oprGcw37OnU7pbLBUzud6JVykslkNn62UeXOxb-fgxO_dJOZ4UXPEBbKzolN/s400/pg2and3_Aesop_DSC4248.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371805312365977778" /></a><small><center>Click on the image to enlarge it.</small></center><br /><blockquote>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. Determined to share some of that good life, Mouse devises a number of schemes to bell the felines, only to be outwitted (and needing rescue from Brown Bat) at every turn. After learning that Princess is about to celebrate her birthday with a party, Mouse finally, and cleverly, concocts a way to accomplish his mission; with the cats belled, the final page finds the duo indulging in an array of gooey birthday treats. This tale will work well in conjunction with Aesop’s original fable, which conveniently prefaces the story. Children will find a lot to discover in the details, even after repeated readings.–Barbara Elleman, Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, Amherst, MA for School Library Journal</blockquote>CVBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17342243824603653833noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27842995.post-42817811761163954462009-11-09T00:23:00.004-05:002009-11-09T00:45:03.204-05:00Kids Lit - "Great drama in a lovely theater of a book."<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQWN5xtTEMf2YmlopL-9jwDuUTCImx8sqLf__isYM5XVGbZz7x3xj0cg327gtDtUhkPxSMndxxtduqOVmvVMGObXyxz8UgETxCIckvy6lmowx7QIdGyoyZIbUFmndAIpEBI4mG/s1600-h/small_DSC4735.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 164px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQWN5xtTEMf2YmlopL-9jwDuUTCImx8sqLf__isYM5XVGbZz7x3xj0cg327gtDtUhkPxSMndxxtduqOVmvVMGObXyxz8UgETxCIckvy6lmowx7QIdGyoyZIbUFmndAIpEBI4mG/s400/small_DSC4735.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5387403095469214642" /></a><small><center>Click on the image to enlarge it.</small></center>September 23, 2009:<blockquote>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, so he makes plans to bell the cats so they will be warned of any approach by the cats. He creates a suit of armor and a sword, but the cats just play ping-pong with him. He dresses up as a dog to scare the cats, but they play floor hockey with him. They put on a fashion show for the cats, but end up in mouse and bat pies, and are rescued by the kind princess. Finally, Mouse has a great idea that answers the question of the entire book.<br /><br />I must first comment on the illustrations of the book which caught my attention immediately. They are done as miniature sets that Von Buhler built by hand. The characters are flat paper against the 3-D sets, making for a very theatrical feel. Her sets are done in deep colors that make them atmospheric and dramatic. Each room has small touches that demonstrate the care she has taken with the entire book.<br /><br />Against the elaborate illustrations, her writing is simple and will read aloud well. The book is paced nicely, aided by quite a bit of humor that helps carry the story along. There is tension with each new plan from Mouse and a real sense of danger. The drama of the storyline works well with the theatrical sets.<br /><br />Great drama in a lovely theater of a book, this book will reach out to anyone who spots the cover. Appropriate for ages 4-7.<br /><br />Make sure to take a look at Cynthia von Buhler’s blog and get a glimpse of how she built the illustrations.<br /><br />Reviewed from library copy.<br /><br />-Tasha Saeker, Menasha Public Library, <a href="http://kidslit.menashalibrary.org/2009/09/23/but-who-will-bell-the-cats/">Kids Lit</a></blockquote>CVBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17342243824603653833noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27842995.post-91128514403459972242009-11-09T00:18:00.002-05:002009-11-09T00:22:24.799-05:00Syndicated, appearing in newspapers all over the United States, "The Young Library: Two classic fables are cat's meow."<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq0OTsHcIumwDbfqsPBlU1bSFhwk4vqIgGPaIixJnUSppNuOIsRSDU83Wb9kI6IRbWec2tLj9aO8dBSGzvXwfL1dhEgs4CzEffo8tzaTo12LFQt0ZjHev_0ugD78e24y9ZuRV0/s1600-h/Finalinteriorcover.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 160px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq0OTsHcIumwDbfqsPBlU1bSFhwk4vqIgGPaIixJnUSppNuOIsRSDU83Wb9kI6IRbWec2tLj9aO8dBSGzvXwfL1dhEgs4CzEffo8tzaTo12LFQt0ZjHev_0ugD78e24y9ZuRV0/s400/Finalinteriorcover.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5387438920699225746" /></a><small><center>Click on the image to enlarge it.</small></center><br /><blockquote>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?<br /><br />Von Buhler comes up with a clever solution in her fanciful picture book.<br /><br />In addition, she sets the action in an exquisitely detailed castlelike dollhouse that she built and elaborately decorated. The story begins with a princess and her eight cats living in luxury. Mouse lives in the cellar, where he eats their crumbs and sleeps under a smelly old sock. He dreams up ways to bell the cats so he can go upstairs for a taste of cake, but nothing works until Mouse comes up with a plan. It works, but you'll have to read the book to find the answer.<br /><br />For a taste, go to <a href="http://www.butwhowillbellthecats">www.butwhowillbellthecats</a>.com. - Judy Green, <a href="http://www.sacbee.com/books/story/2196422.html">Syndicated Review</a></blockquote>CVBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17342243824603653833noreply@blogger.com