Jingle Bells

by Nick Butterworth

With the help of a wise old rat and a little something left behind from Santa's sleigh, two small mice stir up trouble for Cat in return for his scaring off Santa, in a festively wrapped, colorfully illustrated book.

Genres: Christmas, Picture Books, Childrens, Animals, Fiction

32 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 1998

About the author

Nick Butterworth was born in London and grew up in a sweet shop in Essex. He worked for various major graphic design companies before becoming a full-time author and illustrator. Among his picture books are Thud!, QPootle5, Jingle Bells, Albert le Blanc, Tiger and The Whisperer, winner of the Nestlé Gold Award. But he is best known for his stories about Percy the Park Keeper, which have sold more than 9 million copies worldwide. Percy has also appeared in his own television series.

Reviews

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

When Lottie and Jack find that their Christmas has been ruined by That Cat, who eats their Christmas dinner and sabotages their Christmas stockings (so that they don't get any presents from Santa!), the two mice decide that enough is enough, and set out to address the problem. Taking the advice of Ton-Chee the rat, they leave a very unexpected present on the doorstep for their feline adversary, one that is entirely in keeping with the season, and that will give them fair warning when he is about...

A sweet little Christmas tale, with an amusing conclusion - I loved Angus the cat's expression, when his human ties the jingly bell around his neck! - Jingle Bells makes for an entertaining and lighthearted selection for younger children at the holidays. The artwork is really very appealing - I enjoyed it far more than I expected to, having been lukewarm in my response to Nick Butterworth's One Snowy Night - building as it does upon the sense of humor in the story. All in all, a fun tale for the Christmas season, one I would recommend to younger children who enjoy anthropomorphic animal stories.

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rather twee, but I do like the twist on the classic fable about belling the cat....

(Pahrump)

[Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

A tiny book with sweet illustrations and characters.

[Judy & Marianne from Long and Short Reviews · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not every Christmas is a perfect one.

What a peaceful farm to set this story on. I felt as though I received exactly the right amount of information about the farmhouse, barn, outbuildings, and yard. The most important portions of the plot involved what the characters were doing in these places, of course, but it was nice to have such a sturdy backdrop for all of their adventures. Things like this can be easily overlooked, yet they make such a big difference in how readers connect to a story. Good job on all of this, Mr. Butterworth!

I would have liked to see more attention paid to the bullying in this story. Angus the cat was consistently unkind to Lottie and Jack in previous obvious ways. I was surprised by how much Angus was able to get away with and found myself wishing for stronger consequences for these actions. The solution that was eventually shared was a good start, but it would have been nice to see it taken far enough for the cat to realize they were wrong and try to do something to make up for it. As much as I enjoyed the rest of the storyline, I’d want to have a conversation about more efficient ways to handle bullying afterwards if I were to read it to preschoolers.

With that being said, I did appreciate Lottie and Jack’s creativity in this area of their lives. There is definitely something to be said for seeking advice from wise folks and trying to fix a problem after listening to someone else’s ideas about it. I also enjoyed seeing how this issue tied into the magic of the Christmas season, but that’s something other readers should learn more about themselves.

Jingle Bells made me wish Christmas would arrive sooner.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fab book that I was gifted as a child I still feel like it holds up well today! Lottie and Jack are fed up with the neighbouring Cat eating their food, spoiling their fun and taking their Christmas presents. so they team up with a rat and gift the Cat a gift that ensures they'll never be bothered again!

I would use this book to focus on characterisation and mystery, by looking at the rat Ton-Chee
- Can the children recognise that Ton-Chee sounds more exotic, and therefore mysterious and more important than his real name Gavin
- Can they understand why Gavin wears clothes and a hat and the two mice don't - it symbolises his important, him being more civilised but also living near humans
- Can they recognise that him being a rat makes him more important and bigger than mice
- And can they match his ripped sign above his door, Ton-Chee, to the Stilton cheese wrapper missing a piece?

[Victoria Sigsworth · Rating 5 out of 5]

When reviewing children's books, it's important to remember they are written for children. To say it's twee or something else may be how you see it but having bought 2 of these books, one for each of my children, they really enjoyed it. Theirs also came with a little bell attached.
The book is helped by Nick's illustrations which really add to the Christmassy feel. It's a small size book so it is easy to hold and take elsewhere if that is a requirement as well it might be as it makes a lovely short story either before bed or to read with a drink in the afternoon after school for example.

[Willow Curtis · Rating 4 out of 5]

My daughter really liked this book. She gave it 5 stars, I gave it 3, so it's 4 stars from us. This is a simple holiday story with a bit of humor. The illustrations are the best part, in my opinion. One of the things my daughter enjoyed was that the rat, Gavin, goes by Ton-Chee and in the illustrations you can see the origins of his preferred name are torn from a stilton cheese wrapper.

[Christy Roberts · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought this book was kind of mean spirited all around from what Agnus the cat did to how the mice got their revenge. I had hoped the cat see the light it something, but didn't because that the mice got no presents from Santa.

[Kathy Govreau · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very cute story. Illustrations are amazing and adorable!

[Layla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely story. Never read nicks books before. Won’t be the last, great pictures as well in the book, bright colours wonderful Christmas read. Mice vs cat sinario

[Alesha Hartnett · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Christmas classic, childhood reignited!

[Misbah · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way.....Now Angus can't sneak up on us, when we go out an play!"

A cat has ruined Christmas for two mice by eating all their food for the winter and so they get back at her by giving her a present. The present is a bell collar and her owner makes her wear it. Now they can hear the cat coming because of the bell.

[Dolly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a humorous tale that puts an interesting spin on a Christmas gift. The narrative is short and the illustrations are colorful. We all read this book separately and had a good chuckle at the ending.

[Felicity Terry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lovely to snuggle up and read with younger children. Jingle Bells is a delightful festive story made all the more special by the fact that it comes fastened with a bright red ribbon with a small bell.

Copyright: Tracy Terry @ Pen and Paper.

[Jordan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cute kids Christmas book.

[Beverly · Rating 4 out of 5]

His animal illustrations are so adorable!