How to Catch a Mouse

by Philippa Leathers

A confident but inexperienced cat is certain she has scared all the mice out of her house, but things are not always as they seem.

Clemmie the cat knows everything about how to catch a mouse, and she would prove it, too—except that she’s never actually seen a mouse. Perhaps, she thinks, they’re all afraid of her. But wait . . . is that a pink tail, or a dangling ribbon? A whiskery nose, or a spider’s legs? Kids will love spotting the pesky mouse throughout this sprightly picture book and will root for Clemmie to discover the mouse under her nose once and for all.

Genres: Picture Books, Cats, Animals, Storytime, Childrens, Humor, Fiction

40 pages, Hardcover

First published April 14, 2015

About the author

Philippa Leathers studied graphic design, illustration, and animation, and currently works as a freelance animator and illustrator. The Black Rabbit is her first picture book, while her animation credits include work on the Charlie and Lola and Peppa Pig TV series. She lives in England with her family, a gray tabby cat named Emmi, and two rabbits named Benji and Kiki, who inspired her to write The Black Rabbit, as where one goes the other follows close behind.

Reviews

[Brittany · Rating 5 out of 5]

For whatever reason, children love it when they think the main character can't see what they see. The kids I read this to loved pointing out the mouse on each page. So fun! I highly suggest it.

[Al · Rating 5 out of 5]

My four year old loved this.

[Julee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Clemmie is a brave, fearless mouse catcher always on the look out for pink tails, whiskers, and round ears but when she encounters her first mouse face to face, it gets away.

How to Catch a Mouse is a cute story yet the ending was a bit open ended showing Clemmie chasing a mouse. Did she catch it? Did she befriend it as I had guessed she would? Maybe the author wanted us to sort the ending out for ourselves. I would most likely use this with a writing lesson and allow children to come up with their own ending to the story.

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book. I think it would be a great book for a preschool Story Time. The illustrations are adorable and the story is humorous and fun.

SPOILERS AHEAD:

It's basically about the cat trying to catch the mouse, but the mouse disguises itself which then makes the cat disguise itself near the end.

[Herbe Rouge · Rating 5 out of 5]

Un album qui utilise l’image pour contredire les mots. Classique, mais toujours aussi efficace ! Il n’y a pas de souris par ici ? Vraiment ? 🤣
La souris se déguise pour mieux tromper le chat n’ayant jamais vu de souris, puis à la fin, les rôles sont inversés, et le chat se déguise à son tour !
Un album bien amusant pour petits et grands ! 😁

[Mizzy Mint · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very cute story about a cat who wants to catch a mouse but has never actually seen one. She discovers that the mouse was in disguise, and this is a new trick for her, a disguise! Which she uses to sneak up on the mouse.

[Alexandria Whitaker · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a funny story about Clemmie the Cat trying to catch a mouse, but the mouse in her house disguises itself in different costumes. I’d read this book to a lower elementary class to teach them to pay attention to the images in a text.

[Sarah Threlkeld · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clever story with sweet and funny illustrations.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very cute.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super cute and super cute art, I just don't like the way it ended

[Maude P. Ragsdale Hiram Library · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my goodness this is hilarious :D and the cat is adorable.

[Kristen Thorp · Rating 4 out of 5]

218/365

[DJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute build up! I like the sneaky mouse in the background.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

My 2 year old's favorite book. It's clever and a fun over and over read for parents. We love this book!

[Bell · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's a really fun read

[Rahmadiyanti · Rating 3 out of 5]

Anak-anak bakal suka dibacakan buku ini. Kocak, endingnya juga konyol. Ilustrasinya cakep.

[Terresa Wellborn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Darling illustrations and perfectly matched text make this picture book a delight.

Themes: cats, mice, disguises
Ages: PreK-2nd grade
Pub year: 2015

[Lectora de la tierra media · Rating 2 out of 5]

Otra vez, libro corto... Ideal si viene un gatito.

[Dave and Livvy slay Edwards · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thought the book was cute, but didn’t love how it ended. 🫠

[Lara Bate · Rating 3 out of 5]

About a cat who ends up disguising himself in order to catch a mouse.

[Sian · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was fun to read both for my 2 year old daughter and me. Clemmie thinks she is a great mouse scarer because she has never seen a mouse so there cannot be any mice in her house. She is on the lookout for a long pink tail, round ears and a pointy whiskery nose but the illustrations show the resident mouse disguising these attributes and apparently having the run of the house! Eventually Clemmie is shocked to uncover the mouse and then uses the art of disguise herself to jump out and surprise the mouse. We loved the illustrations showing the mouse out and about in disguise, the book showing how to catch a mouse and how Clemmie was so sure she was doing such a good job even though we could see the mouse right under her nose. A fun read.

[Baby Bookworm · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review was originally written for The Baby Bookworm. Visit us for new picture books reviews daily!

Summer Reading Day 64: Today’s pick was How To Catch A Mouse by Philippa Leathers, a ridiculously cute story about a little cat named Clemmie who believes she is the world’s greatest mouse-scarer because she’s never even seen a mouse. The humor is in her attempts to locate a mouse in her home while a mouse in disguise follows her around without her noticing.

This is a sweet, silly story that will really amuse children, and it’s really fun to find the hiding mouse in each illustration. The illustrations are adorable, and you will fall in love with Clemmie and her expressions. Great length for Baby Bookworm, so we can definitely give it our stamp of approval!

Be sure to check out The Baby Bookworm for more reviews!

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Clemmie is sure that her house is mouse-free. After all, there is not a sign of any mouse to be found anywhere in the house. Or is there? It turns out that a mouse is passing right near her in several of the pages while she keeps getting distracted by things that might signify a mouse such as round ears or a pink tail. When she discovers to her chagrin that there is a mouse in the house, she takes a clue from its behavior and goes undercover. The digitally enhanced illustrations, rendered in watercolor and pencil, will delight young readers who will have fun spotting the mouse slipping right beneath Clemmie's watchful eyes.

[Kelsey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Age: Preschool-1st grade

Clemmie thinks that she is the big cheese of the house. As an expert in stalking and chasing [balls of yarn], Clemmie is a skilled mouse hunter. Throughout the book, as Clemmie hunts objects that look like a mouse, the real mouse scurries by in disguise. A fun game ensues as kids find the real mouse in each picture.

[Romelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun interactive picture book about a delusional (in a cute and innocent way) cat. I love the picture play that serves as a guessing game for readers as they turn the page to discover what it is that Clemmie, the cat, finds as she tries to hunt a mouse. The surprise ending will leave readers laughing out loud. HOW TO CATCH A MOUSE is a great book for story time! Clever and fun.

[Ali Book&Seaglasshunter · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one got big laughs from both of my preschool age children! The antics of Clemmie the cat and the mouse are cute and silly. They loved spotting the mouse in the pictures, and trying to guess what Clemmie would do next in her hunt for the mouse. We borrowed this one from the library and read it over and over.

[Amy]

Clemmie the Cat thinks she's a mouse-catching expert...but the mouse happens to know a thing or two about evading cats. The chase is on! We loved this new book by Philippa Leathers. Full review here: http://www.sunlitpages.com/2015/04/ki...

[Debbie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mango seemed to enjoy this book. I did however change mouse to Chipmunk because Mango is learning about Chipmunks. I also changed the cat to a male cat in the book. Light easy read, the ending is cute....

[Alice · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cat lives at my house...although It was reported that she got a small mice (we don't have a mice problem) but she is so like this book. It was funny and silly and true to cats..but I don't like mice...so...I didn't hit the right spot for me!!

[Great Books · Rating 3 out of 5]

Clemmie is a brave, adorable and fearsome cat. She is looking and looking for a mouse, who is very good at hiding. With simple, colorful and playful illustrations join Clemmie as she searches for a mouse with a long pink tail, two round early and a whiskery, pointy nose. Reviewer #27