Mabela the Clever

Plot Summary

Mabela may be the smallest mouse in the village, but her father has taught her to be clever. And this cleverness comes in handy when the cat comes, inviting everyone to join the secret Cat Society. The mice line up, with Mabela at the front and the Cat at the back. They march into the forest, singing the secret Cat song and shouting FO FENG! Only clever Mabela realizes the Cat is up to no good!

Awards

2001 Aesop Accolade, American Folklore Society; 2003 Washington Children's Choice Master List; A 2001 Parents' Choice Picture Book Silver Honor; Children's Literature Choice List 2002; Highly Commended Book–2002 Charlotte Zolotow Award Committee; Pick of the Lists, ABA; Storytelling World Award-2002 Winner-Stories for Young Listeners; Texas Library Association 2002 2 X 2 Reading List

Reviews

"The energetic text is trademark MacDonald written purely to be read aloud, and punctuated by a chant that invites children to join in. Coffey's saturated acrylics depict a vaguely African anthropomorphized world where animals live in grass huts. Bright borders set off the text blocks, and occasionally frame a detail, such as a tiny tongue sneaking out to lick a delicate chop when the cat greets the eager mice. The Cat is orange, and her pointy green eyes protrude from the plane of her face, giving her a truly shift-eyed look. Mabela herself is a little red mouse, whose enormous eyes dominate her bucktoothed face. The tale is somewhat moralizing at the end but children will respond nevertheless to this plucky little heroine who saves herself by her wits." Kirkus Reviews

"Mabela, the littlest mouse, has been taught to be clever by her father. When that cat cooks up a scheme to trap the mice, it is up to Mabela to save herself and her friends. Will she remember her father's words of wisdom in time? Tim Coffey's illustrations defintely bring this African tale to life with bright colors and cute animals. I loved Mabela's buckteeth." Pick of the Lists, ABA

"Folklorist MacDonald retells this cautionary tale from the Limba people of Sierra Leone with a zesty panache present from the opening lines...From tone to pace, MacDonald's choices here are right on the money: this is a cautionary tale that will be rip-roaring fun to tell, listen to, and act out. The father mouse's words of wisdom bear reiteration, and the short song/chant demands repeating. Crayon-colored, pop-eyed little mice and the green-eyed ginger cat stand out against the shades-of-gold-and-green background. Feathery brush-strokes add texture to Coffey's acrylics, and the fantastical setting suits the magical nature of this tale." The Bulletin

"MacDonald's spry retelling of an African folktale, in which a mouse imparts the importance of using all the senses, is alight with humor....Coffey plays up the comedy in his subtly exaggerated illustrations. Cat's sharply angular face and elongated oval eyes make an amusing visual contrast to the plump, google-eyed, multi-colored mice." Publishers Weekly

"MacDonald's retelling of this Limba tale is engineered for storytime success." Starred, School Library Journal

Associated Keywords
cat, cats, mouse, mice, folklore, folk tale, folktale, folk lore, storytelling