Monecia Samuel
Storytelling
Story
I Elementary
THE CAT AND THE MOUSE IN
PARTNERSHIP-GRIMMS’
STORY CUE CARD
Title (best version for telling): The Cat and Mouse Set Up Housekeeping
Collector/Author: Manheim, Ralph
Other Bibliographic Information: The Cat and Mouse Set Up Housekeeping pp. 6-8 in Grimms’ Tales for Young and Old The
Complete Stories. Doubleday, New York
1977.
Ethnic Origin: Germany
Running Time: 7-9
min.
Power Center:
The story has humor
and suspense. Its moral message and lesson
on trusting an enemy is illustrated at the end of the story when the cat eats
the mouse.
Characters: cat and mouse
Scenes:
Unknown
House
Church
House
Church
House
Church
House
Church
Synopsis: A cat enters into a deceptive relationship/living
arrangement with a mouse. They make a
decision to store a can of oil in a church for harder times in the winter. The cat periodically goes to the church,
under the guise of serving as a godfather for three christenings, drinks oil
from the can each time with increasing consumption, finishing it before winter
arrives. When the mouse convinces the
cat they should go find the oil at a crucial time in winter, they go and the
mouse discovers the can is empty, and then realizes it was the cat's
doing. When she speaks out about his
behavior he threatens to eat her if she continues. Not being able to hold in her disappointment, she continues and
the cat devours her.
Rhymes/Special
phrases/"Flavor:"
“What name did they
give the baby?” – Asked by the mouse in slightly different ways.
“Nothing tastes so
well as what one keeps to oneself.” -
Cat (Grimms)
“Nothing tastes better than what you yourself
eat.”-Cat (Manheim)
“Nothing tastes
better than what one eats by oneself.”-Cat (Haviland)
“Nothing ever seems so
good as what one keeps to oneself.” – (Olcott)
“Good things always
come in threes.”-Cat (Grimms)
“Good things always
come in threes.”-Cat (Haviland)
“All good things come
in threes.”- Cat (Manheim)
“All good things come
in threes.”-Cat (Olcott)
Audience: Elementary, K-6.
Appropriateness of story for audience:
The story’s simple scenes and repetitiveness make it easy for a school age child to follow. Piaget mentions the importance of repetitiveness in the preoperational stage, so this story is suitable for elementary school children up to seven years of age. The names given in the story to the fictitious kittens are humorous. The children will be old enough to understand them to be ridiculous, but young enough to entertain the possibility of such names. The story is also developmentally appropriate for elementary aged children. According to Erikson, children at this age are gaining a sense of roles and institutions in society (relationship of cat and mouse, role of one to go out while the other keeps house). In addition, they learn the importance of cooperation, as illustrated in the beginning of the story where the cat and mouse make a plan for food for the winter.
Bibliographic Information on other versions/variants (at
least two)
Grimm’s (No named author)
(1993) The Cat and Mouse in Partnership, pp. 130-132 in Grimm’s Complete Fairy
Tales. Barnes and Noble Books, New
York.
Haviland, Virginia (1959) The Cat and Mouse in Partnership, pp. 32-40 in Favorite Fairy Tales Told in Germany. Little, Brown and Co. Toronto
Olcott, Frances J. (1968) Cat
and Mouse in Partnership, pp.47-51.
Grimm’s Fairy Tales. Follett
Publishing Company, Chicago.
Brief comparison of all versions/variants in terms of
language, rhythm, "tellability,"
"flavor," content, etc.
Stress the differences in style rather than those in content.
Haviland- uses simple sentences more suited for a child to read himself. The sentences are simple, and a bit choppy for telling. It is also more explanatory in that no room is left for the child to infer meaning.
Grimm’s-language is ornate or somewhat formal sounding. A child may wonder because of this, if he
should laugh even though the story is humorous. The language may also cause the child to concentrate much too
intensely, and he may not enjoy the story for its worth.
Manheim’s- book is a modern translation of the Brothers Grimm
collection. The language is simplified,
and a good mix of the other three versions.
For an example in Grimms’:
“Oh yes, certainly,” answered the mouse, “pray go, by all means.”
In Manheim:
“Yes of course, said the mouse.
Go by all means”