Kindergarten Books > Who Will Hang the Bell

Who Will Hang the Bell

By: Shoshana Tzur, Illustrations: Tuvia Kurtz

Based on one of Aesop’s fables, this is the tale of mice who live happily in a house until a cat arrives. They decide to hang a bell on his neck but face the big question: Who will hang the bell? It’s one thing to decide on a matter but another to do it.

Family Activities

This story is inspired by the Greek Aesop, who created short stories that passed throughout generations in all cultures of the world and became an important asset in ethical pedagogy for children. Perhaps, the closest equivalent in the Arab culture to Aesop is "Kalila wa-Dimna" stories by Ibn ...

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Dear parents,

The mice family lives safely playing in the big house's kitchen until a giant cat disturbs their lives. Mother Mouse becomes alert and warns her little ones not to get near the kitchen. However, the mice are hungry. One of them ventures, and enters the kitchen, but he returns empty-handed. The mice gather and think together until they reach a solution! Hanging a bell around the cat's neck, so they will be warned by the sound of the bell whenever their nemesis is near. The only question that remains is: who will hang the bell?

This story is inspired by the Greek Aesop, who created short stories that passed throughout generations in all cultures of the world and became an important asset in ethical pedagogy for children. Perhaps, the closest equivalent in the Arab culture to Aesop is "Kalila wa-Dimna" stories by Ibn Al-muqaffa.

Herby, share with you some suggestions for activities about the book that you can do with your children:

Family Activities

  • Review with the child the sequence of events before and after the cat showed up in the kitchen. Discuss the feelings of the mice in the two periods: what has changed?
  • Observe the little details in the book's drawings: which elements convey an atmosphere of joy and security that prevailed before the cat appears, and which of them convey an atmosphere of fear and caution after the opponent enters?
  • Mother Mouse warns her little ones and prevents them from entering the kitchen. Discuss with your child the motives of Mother Mouse. You can choose a similar situation that the child encounters in the family or kindergarten environments. Why do adults sometimes prevent children from doing certain things?
  • The mice family gather to discuss the problem of the cat. Imagine that you become tiny and enter the mice hole and listen to their argument. Which family member participates in the argument? How the decision to hang a bell around the cat's neck is taken? Discuss decision-making methods in matters that relate to your family life, such as going on a trip, or making improvements around the house, etc.)
  • Ask your child, "who will hang the bell?" and encourage him/her to think of a solution to help the mice.
  • Where do houses hide? Go out with your child on an exploratory trip to find other tiny homes around you in which small creatures live—for example, ant colonies and bird nests.
  • "Jingle bells"… search for bells you hear in your near environment—for example, the doorbell, the church bell, or the clock alarm, etc.
  • Make nice bells from disposable paper cups, colored ribbons, and big beads as bell clappers. Use different dyes and stickers to decorate your bells.
  • A working group developed these suggestions for Maktabat Al-Fanoos project from Bidayat Center for the Development of Early Childhood in the Arab Society, and from Grinspoon Foundation Israel, and from the Ministry of Education.
  • Enjoy your reading and activity!

تتيح هذه القصّة الطّريفة- المستندة إلى أحد أمثال "إيسوب" الإغريقي- الحوار مع الأطفال حول طيفٍ من مواقف حياتية، يعيشها الأطفال في الرّوضة وفي البيت. من بين هذه المواقف:

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