But Who Will Bell the Cats?

I've raved about Cynthia von Buhler's beautiful artwork here before, so you can imagine how delighted I was to receive a review copy of her new children's book, But Who Will Bell the Cats?  The story is a response to Aesop's famous question, and follows two friends, Mouse and Brown Bat, who long to get out of their dank basement and enjoy a life of luxury in the castle upstairs.  Trouble is, that castle is populated by a herd of pampered cats.  Using determination and plenty of ingenuity, the two tiny schemers try to execute their grand plan toward grandeur.

It's a lovely story, but the real star of the show here is von Buhler's obsessively crafted visual world.  Each picture in the book is actually a photograph of a unique diorama-esque scene which she designed, built, and decorated, then populated with painted character cut-outs (you can actually see her incrediblly labor-intensive, behind-the-scenes process here).  The overall effect is unique and captivating, and this book will no doubt be adored by children and adults alike for many years to come.

Comments

[mlle ghoul]

Oh my lord. That IS incredible.
The amount of work that must have gone into that...! Thanks so much for sharing.