Thank you to the author, Clavis Publishing and NetGalley, for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a cute and fun story - I have to confess I was totally unfamiliar with Aesop's fable upon which this was based - about not jumping to premature conclusions. The child I read this with loved it, primarily because it's a story told with a lot of humor and the illustrations are beautifully done, with lots of fun details. I would classify this as primarily a book to read aloud, but it's one that will be enjoyed every time you bring it out.

This is the story of 3 rats who tries different ways to get rid a new cat that their owners brought. This book was charming, adorable, and tells the value of friendship and accepting new friends. The illustrations were adorable and cute. I really loved this book. Beautiful book. Highly recommend!

This is a short but very cute book! The illustrations were adorable and I love the message of not judging a book by its cover. Plus the story and dialogue were witty and fun so parents and children alike will enjoy reading this book aloud. Definitely recommend!

A fun story about unexpected friendships and thinking outside the box. Cute illustrations accompany the text. A good book for young children.

Elwood, Bernardo, and Vincent have the run of the house with nobody to bother them. Then one fateful day they receive a new housemate and it's a CAT! Oh my! The mice go into panic mode and need to hatch a plan to get rid of him so they won't be in danger.

This is a delightful re-telling of the Aesop's Fables tale of "Who will Bell the Cat". After many consultations the mouse team think they know exactly how to solve their problem - tie a bell around the cat's neck so they will always know his whereabouts. After a few failed attempts to carry out their plan the mice finally succeed. How did they manage to win a victory?

This story will be a hit with kids with all the silly twists and turns that the story provides. The fun, expressive, illustrations are fantastic and place the reader right in the story. "A Better Way to Bell a Cat" encourages kids not to make assumptions or jump to conclusions based on insufficient data. It's best not to make a judgement until you give someone a chance to show who they really are.

I love the adorable characters and the important life lesson that the book shares. I highly recommend this book!

Thanks to Clavis Publishing and Netgalley for the ARC. Below is my honest review!

Plot: A triplet of mice are living in a home peacefully until one day, the owners bring home a cat. The mice quickly panic since they believe that the cat will harm them. Soon, they come up with creative (but failed) plans to get rid of the cat. Until they realize the cat is very chill.

It's such a fun book since the themes feel very familiar. The moral of the story is to not jump to conclusions based on assumptions. A great lesson to teach young kids!

The book is very cute and colorful with simple drawings. Would recommend to those with little kids!

A tale of dynamics. When a family of mice in the basement find a cat has been welcomed home. They are alarmed. If you didn't know cat and mice do not get along. You and your young reader will love how the cat and mice were able to find some common ground. Until they brought home a puppy.

Loved it. Fun and more fun.

A special thank you to Clavis Publishing and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review.

A cute and funny retelling of the Aesop’s Fables story, “Who will Bell the Cat?”

Elwood, Bernardo, and Vincent are cute mice living a comfortable life in a big old house. But one fine day, oh horror! The humans have brought home a large cat. After brainstorming for a while, the trio hit upon a solution – tie a bell around the cat’s neck. But who will do the brave job? As a team, they try various ways of belling the cat but something or the other always goes awry. However, there’s a twist in the tale, followed by another twist.

This is the kind of story that children are sure to enjoy. It doesn’t become preachy, it is full of silly antics, and the illustrations provide a lot to look at. While not having an outright moral, it still shows kids how not to jump to conclusions based on incorrect assumptions or incomplete date. Give everyone a chance before judging them by their reputation. Knowing the original story will help you appreciate the retelling more, but it isn’t a must.

The illustrations are adorable as well. The animals all have a soft-toy appearance to them, which was kinda ironic as one of them had its own soft toy. 😄 I loved the soft pastel hues of the colourful pages. The only thing I would have added would be some kind of identifying tags to the mice maybe like Alvin and the Chipmunks have. It was tough to identify who was who on most pages.

I read this along with my kids and we had a merry time. They loved the story, found it “so cute”, and have instructed me to give this book 5 stars. But while I loved the fun element in this book, it didn’t ‘wow’ me enough to go beyond 4.25 stars. I will compromise a bit and go with 4.5 stars, which still rounds up to 5. It’s a book for kids after all; what do I know! 😄

Definitely recommended for all little readers looking for a fun picture book. Suitable for ages 2-7.

4.5 stars.

My thanks to Clavis Publishing and NetGalley for the DRC of “A Better Way to Bell a Cat”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

A better Way to Bell a Cat by Bonnie Grumman. I am always looking for cute books to read to my two year old granddaughter she loves animals. This one definitely has cute illustrations and I love how they are figuring out ways to put a bell on the 🐈‍⬛ cat.

This story offers the tale of three mice trying to place a bell on their house cat so they can hear them coming and get away safely. After a few failed attempts at putting the bell on the cat, the cat catches the mice. What will the mice do then? This book explores themes of friendship.

Great kids book showing the typical relationship between cats and rodents however, at the end they all become friends. Super cute.

A Better way to bell a cat is a really cute story about three mice who get afraid of a new cat!! I liked their thoughtfulness in trying to escape him. Cute illustrations.

Any book with cats in it is a book I want to read!! This is a super cute story of a cat and a few mice that are trying to live harmoniously in the same house. The mice are afraid of the cat, but after some time find out that the cat isn't going to hurt them. The illustrations in the book are adorable and the story of not judging a book by its cover is a great lesson for the littles to learn early on in life. HIghly recommend!

This is a super cute story about three mice trying to make life with a cat work. After many failed plans, they learn the cat is friendly towards mice and doesn't plan to hunt them. It has the message of don't judge a book by it's cover through a fun story with adorable illustrations.

Super cute book for cat lovers of all ages :) my 2 year old enjoyed reading it with me. Loved the trojan horse with the dog.

A cute take on don't trust a book by its cover. The pictures are adorable, as are the personalities of all the characters.

Super cozy and sweet tail (see what I did there? ;-)) perfect for emphasizing that we shouldn't judge someone before we know them- everyone deserves a chance.

I thought the illustrations were adorable and following the three mice in their quest to rid their home of the new Cat was a ton of fun- they had some clever ideas even if they didn't pan out.
The message is important and I loved that everyone cozied up at the end like a happy little fam!

I don't think I've encountered many cliffhangers in children's literature so I was THRILLED to be thrown off guard with the ending and I can only hope there is a new development to this unlikely friendship that did a 180!

Recommended for young kiddos for the simplistic style and moral of the story- would be perfection for bedtime!

I read this book with my son (4yo). We liked the illustrations and the overall moral of the story. His favorite part was the sewn dog.

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this advance eCopy.

A marvelous picture book that works through problem solving, drawing conclusions, and recognition of facts (and how different they are than assumptions). A short read for my students but great for the topics listed and for them to read to younger students.

I received this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This is a funny story about mice trying to live with their new cat housemate. They try all kinds of tricks, my favorite being dressing up like a dog to scare the cat.