Book review: 'Cat & Mouse' uses cutouts to add a fun spin to a delightful board book

Cat is chasing Mouse all around the house and into the woods. As I read this book to my young elementary-aged kids, they loved following the chase through the book in, "Cat and Mouse."

Almost each one of the 24 pages has a cute little cutout, which my kids just loved. As I'd read one page, they'd look through the cutout and wonder what was going on in the next pages. They felt like they were getting a sneak peak into the future just by seeing the different colors through the cutouts.

There's even a cutout on the cover. See Mouse in the picture below? He's poking his head out through the blue cutout on the book's cover. Right away, my kids were eager to read this book just by seeing that cover.

Image from Prestel.com

See the blue rectangle in this page below? That's the cutout to the next page. My kids knew something blue was coming and, even though that was their only clue to what was coming up, they still got the biggest kick out of it.

Image from Prestel.com

Here's another page with a cutout. In this one, you can see the glimmer of the previous page through the window of the house.

Image from Prestel.com

Following Cat and Mouse's chase was a fun, yet calming, way to put my kids to bed. The simple colors used and the illustration manner make for a peaceful read. I was happy with an ending I wasn't expecting and my kids went to bed with smiles on their faces.

"Cat & Mouse" is a fun book for young children. There is nothing offensive whatsoever in it.

Author and illustrator Britta Teckentrup received her formal education in the UK but is a German resident. She lives in Berlin with her family.

Book breakdown:
24 board book pages
Color illustrations
Best for ages: 2-5
Educational factor: low
Christian content: no
Parents could be concerned about: nothing