Synopsis: All day long the baker's cat toils in the bakery and all night he is expected to catch the mice that run riot in the storeroom. If he doesn't catch any mice, the beastly baker tells him, he won't get any food. Too exhausted to chase after the cheeky rodents, the baker's cat becomes thin and sad and weepy, until the mice take pity on him and together they concoct a clever plan ...

Review: Quentin Blake describes Simmonds as a “beautifully confident draughtsman, with a hand that matches her penetrating eye.” Reminiscent of Beatrix Potter, though with a finer, lighter and more comical touch, and a writing style to match, Posy Simmonds removes the reader to an imaginary world where anthropomorphic creatures live alongside people.

Baker Cat tells the tale of a hard done by ginger tom who is ordered about by the baker and his wife in their mice ridden shop. The industrious little mice take pity on the cat and in a series of night time collaborations they plan their revenge. Readers will be drawn into a range of responses ranging from sympathy to amusement in a fast moving, yet substantial story. Above all children will be drawn into the homely atmosphere as they learn about the inner workings of a domestic bakery. Transported back to a period which is fast becoming a bygone age, but can still be seen in small northern towns, Baker Cat deserves a place on a British social history shelf as much as that of the picture book.

2006-11-13