Cheese Belongs to You, written by Alexis Deacon and illustrated by Viviane Schwarz
CHEESE BELONGS TO YOU! is the newest collaboration from Alexis Deacon and Viviane Schwarz. Their first picture book, A Place to Call Home, is about a brave band of (hamster) brothers looking for a new home. This duo clearly loves rodents as rats, referred to in one review as the most "unnerving yet gleefully entertaining" rats since Ratatouille, are the main characters of this new book. And, as Schwarz says, "they have something to teach you: Rat Law," and, Rat Law has "basically one rule: Cheese belongs to you."
Of course, there Rat Law also has exceptions...
Things escalate and bigger, stronger, hairier, dirtier rats emerge to claim the cheese. Of Rat Law, Schwarz says "You'll get the hang of it. But who gets the cheese? Buy book, find out!"
Just in case you were worried, community and civility does win out in the end. Schwarz's soft, pencil drawings and the photo of a wedge of Swiss cheese are balanced and bolstered by the bold face type of Deacon's text. The tension builds, the adjectives mount and the rat population increases in a way that kids will LOVE. I guarantee this is a great read-out-loud! Also, be sure to keep your eye on the first little rat with the bow-tie on her tail!
Also by Deacon and Schwarz:
A Place to Call Home, written by Alexis Deacon
Viviane Schwarz's other amazing, fantastic books you should read!!
