Mabela the Clever

Mabela is a small mouse in the village of mice. One day her father tells her to "keep her ears open and listen", "keep your eyes open and look around you", "when speaking pay attention to what you are saying", and "if you have to move, move fast". One day a cat comes to the mouse village and gives

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the mice an invitation to join the secret cat society. The just need to show up at the cat's house the next day. The next day almost all the mice from the village show up, even Mabela. The cat teaches them a song and tells them to march in a line never looking back. Mabela ends up in the front of the line because she is the smallest. Off the mice marched into the forrest with the cat following. The cat would pick a mouse up and put it in his sack everytime the mice got to the end of the song. Mabela listening to her dads words started noticing things weren't right. She started to listen and look and paied attention to what she was saying. She noticed that the mice were disappearing and no one was watching the cat. She ran for it and the cat ran after her. The cat got stuck in in vines with thorns and Mabela was able to excape and release the other mice. She went home and passed on her wisdom. The final line in the book, "If a person is clever, it is because someone has taught them their cleverness."
Super adorable book. Great colorfully animated paintings. The painting are very simple with the eyes of the animals being the focus. The text is boxed in borders of African-style designs. Good feeling book.

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This story is about a mouse named Mabela. Her father gives advice to young Mabela. This advice is important in keeping her out of harm’s way, the cat.

This book is a beast folktale. I enjoyed the way young Mabela listened to the advice given to her, this advice shows the importance of listening

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to your elders. This is important in a young individual’s life.

In the classroom, I would have the students write down advice that has been given to them by their elders and how listening to this advice saved they time, from danger, from frustration, or from extra work, etc. What would have otherwise happened if the student had not taken the advice?

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This would be a good book to read to kindergarten and first grade classes, because the lessons Mabela learns from her father in order to be clever are great lessons to teach children to be aware of their safety and surroundings.

A good story with an unusual moral - at least, I've never heard "Pay attention and THINK about what you're saying!" presented as a moral before, although God knows it ought to be.

No mousies are harmed in the reading of this story. My only real concern with it is that I have no idea how authentic it

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is.

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Mabela is a mouse, whose father has taught her to be clever. When Mabela ventures off with a cat, she does exactly what her father has taught her. This helps Mabela save her friends and herself. This is a great book with great morals to abide by. The illustrations are beautiful and give a sense of

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a different color, because of the color choices. This would be a great read aloud book for grades K-3.

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This story starts off letting us know that in the early times some animals were clever and some not, the cat was a clever one and mice were mostly not. Very cute tale about a cat trying to be clever and trick the mice by telling them that they are invited to join the secret cat society. All the

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mice were excited and lined up and learned the cat society song and march, which included never looking back. Mabela was in front and the cat was in the back. As they sang every time they said fo feng the cat ate another mouse. Soon mabela realized something was wrong,she remembered her father's advise and finally ran as fast as she could into the sticker bushes. The cat followed and got stuck never to bother Mabela again.
The mouse prevailed because she listed and remembered her father's advise. This is a great story to talk about listening to our elders and following not only Mabel's father's good advise but about what other advise parents share? And why it is important to listen to it.

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Cleverness. The theme is in the title.This story is about a young mouse who's father once told him three simple rules to always remeber when out and about in the eyes of others. As long as the mouse remebered these rules, it would live and be fine. One day a "clever" cat came to the mouse village

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and offered the mice to join the cat club, and to chant a song, but walk in the front. Well, the mouse joined in with the other mice, but was clever and remebered what his parents said and saved the day. Instead of all the mice being eaten by the cat, Mabela saved the day and her story was told from generation to generation.

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This book is about a cat who tries to trick mice into going on a trip and makes it sound fun but is actually a trick so that he can eat them. Mabela is a mouse whos mother gave her rules about safety and Mabela towards the end realizes what actually is happening and ends up saving all of the mice.

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This book teaches children a lesson about being safe in a fun and non-scary way

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This is a folklore about a cat learning from a mouse. In a time where cats where clever and mouses are foolish, there was this one mouse that was smarter than all. Throughout, the book the mouse remembers things his father has told him, like mini lessons. Which is pretty cute to show to children.

This book opens with an explanation of the history of the tale, where it came from (England) and a little tune and it’s musical measure to go along with it. I thought this was a good way to explain the origin of the tale, so that readers have a better idea of what the story will be about and

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where it came from.
Mabela is a young mouse whose father taught her cleverness, and how not to be foolish like all of the other mice. The cats in the story were said to be the clever animals, so her father warned her to be careful around them, and not be oblivious. I liked how the book displayed the senses that Mabela’s father described when giving her advice on how to be clever, “listen, look around you, pay attention to what you are saying, and move fast!”
I also liked how in the illustrations above the text (aside from he actual page drawings) shows the close-up of a cap with it’s eyes that look peculiar as if the cat knows he is ricking the mice into coming to is house to join “the secret cat society” meanwhile, the readers know that he will try and eat them. In the illustrations, I notified the mice have wide opened eyes, which lead me to believe they were curious, oblivious, and foolish, however Mabela remained skeptical of the cat like her father had told her. The cat tells the mice to march in a straight line into the forest and not look back; one by one it eats the mice and the one in front does not notice. Mabela starts remembering the father’s advice and listens- does not hear many other mice talking and cats voice is closer than before, as she is at the front of the line, and she manages to escape the cat. I think the meaning of the story is to be smart and aware and clever and not oblivious and foolish to other people.

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