They are tres magnifique! I'm not the only one who thinks so. There are wonderful little details on each page that are worth taking the time to point out and talk about. The illustrations by Paul Galdone are done in black and white, along with the French flag colors of red, white and blue. All of these are sweet touches and create an overall feeling of being in another place and another time. He is also father and husband to a lovely little family of mice, who have names like Doucette, Georgette, Paulette and Claude. Anatole himself wears a beret and blue jacket with a red scarf, all of which give him an air of panache. If only they knew how to find the mysterious Anatole and thank him.Įve Titus's prose is quite lyrical, with a fair amount of French sprinkled throughout the story. The cheeses manufacturer follows Anatole's suggestions, and soon his business is turned around, and he is regarded as the best cheese maker in Paris. So Anatole leaves signed notes by each cheese, with suggestions on how to make it better. Of course, the only way that a mouse can become a chief cheese taster is in secret. Instead, he sets out to do something about it, and becomes the chief cheese taster for the struggling Duval Cheese Manufacturer. He decides then and there that he will no longer break into human's houses to steal food. He is quite upset to hear that humans don't like mice, and feels that his honor has been insulted. It's a charming story about an industrious mouse with a true sense of honor.Īnatole lives in 'a small mouse village near Paris.' One day, he overhears some humans talking disparagingly about mice. Anatole was first published in 1956 and was re-released in 2006.

Long before Ratatouille or Despereaux, there was another famous Parisian mouse named Anatole.

Anatole mouse book