Pistes d'exploration

Discuss Mrs. Marlowe’s double life. What are the inherent risks and rewards? How might this situation have arisen in the first place? What would you have done?

Stop reading when the illustration shows the mouse being eaten. Predict the ending and defend your ideas based on your knowledge of Mrs. Marlowe, cats and stories in general. Were you right?

Choose three words that exemplify Mrs. Marlowe’s character. Which textual clues lead to your choices. Compare your words with those of a partner.

Read one of the suggested companion stories (see below). What connections can you make between this story and the harbouring of Jews during World War II?

Read one of the suggested companion stories (see below). What connections can you make between this story and the harbouring of Jews during World War II?

List any words and expressions that refer to cats. Beside each, write an equivalent that would describe humans: e.g. “rest her tired paws” would be “rest her tired feet”.

Make a story map of the characters, setting, problems and solutions. Use this to retell the story.

Discuss this story as an allegory. What is the underlying meaning? What is depicted inside the front and back covers? What World War II characters do the cats and mice represent?

Design and produce a book trailer.

The Butterfly, The Composition

Mots-clés

Picture book , allegories , cats , differences , Holocaust , mice , symbolism , World War II

Commentaire descriptif

Mrs. Marlowe is a feline librarian living in a “fastidiously neat and clean apartment,” all alone – except for the extended family of mice who secretly live with her. But harbouring mice is a very serious offence in Cat City. When officers from the Department of Catland Security arrive on her doorstep, the crafty librarian must figure out how to outwit them and save her mice from certain doom. On the other hand, is it possible that she is actually a diabolical monster with a deeper, darker secret? This engaging story includes rich vocabulary (fastidiously, courteous, snag) and humorous puns (mouse-keeping). Suspense builds as readers decide whether Eleanor is really living a double-life as a mouse-sympathizer or is actually fattening up the mice for her own selfish culinary pleasure. The characters are cats dressed as humans, living in a human setting. The style of the photographic-computer illustrations and the officers’ verbal exchanges lend the book a 1920s film noir feel. More mature readers may understand the allusion to World War II and the hiding of Jews, but all will appreciate the themes of equality and acceptance.