耗子大爷在家吗？
Is Mr. Mouse at Home?
Author | 文字作者
Xiang Zhou (周翔)
Illustrator | 图画作者
Xiang Zhou (周翔)
Tomorrow Publishing House (明天出版社)
2012
Description | 简介
“耗子大爷在家吗？”一只猫守在老鼠洞外，一遍遍地问。可耗子大爷总是忙个不停：起床、穿衣、吃点心、骑大马、洗澡、剔牙……从一更到十更，猫使出各种办法想抓住老鼠，却总被聪明机灵的老鼠一家巧妙化解。猫越来越着急，老鼠们却不慌不忙，甚至悄悄计划着搬新家！改编自中国北方传统童谣，这个充满韵律、幽默与惊喜的故事，让孩子在欢笑中体验一场妙趣横生的猫鼠大战。
"Is Mr. Mouse at home?" A determined cat calls outside a mouse hole again and again. But Mr. Mouse is always busy—getting dressed, enjoying snacks, riding a horse, taking a bath, or brushing his teeth! From the first night watch to the tenth, the frustrated cat tries one trick after another, only to be outsmarted by the clever mouse family. Meanwhile, the mice are secretly planning their next move! Adapted from a traditional northern Chinese nursery rhyme, this playful story combines rhythmic dialogue, clever surprises, and hilarious cat-and-mouse adventures.
Why We Recommend It
一本将中国北方传统童谣与现代图画书艺术巧妙结合的原创作品。周翔保留了民间童谣朗朗上口的韵律和重复问答结构，同时通过丰富的画面细节，创造出文字之外的另一条故事线：猫在洞外费尽心机，老鼠一家却在洞内机智应对。书中隐藏着大量有趣的线索，鼓励孩子仔细观察、预测情节、发现伏笔，培养视觉阅读与逻辑推理能力。作者还通过字体大小的变化表现猫的情绪，让文字本身成为叙事的一部分。“一更”“二更”等表达自然引出中国古代更鼓报时文化，充满生活气息的场景也带有老北京民间文化的韵味。无论是低龄儿童参与朗读，还是稍大的孩子探索画面细节，都能从中感受传统童谣的语言魅力与幽默智慧。
A delightful blend of traditional Chinese folk literature and inventive picture-book storytelling. Xiang Zhou preserves the lively rhythms and repetitive call-and-response structure of a northern Chinese nursery rhyme while creating a second narrative through richly detailed illustrations. As the cat grows increasingly frustrated, the clever mouse family quietly outsmarts every attempt to catch them. Hidden visual clues encourage children to observe, predict, and make connections beyond the text, while playful changes in typography reflect the cat's shifting emotions. References to traditional Chinese night watches introduce an intriguing aspect of historical timekeeping, and the lively domestic scenes evoke the atmosphere of old Beijing. With its rhythmic language, visual humor, and layered storytelling, the book rewards repeated reading and invites children of different ages to participate and discover something new.
Reading & Activity Ideas
Call-and-Response Storytime: Divide children into cats and mice to act out the repeated dialogue, inventing funny new answers. Visual Detective: Search the illustrations for hidden clues and predict the cat's next move. Chinese Night-Watch Clock: Explore traditional Chinese night watches (五更) and compare them with modern timekeeping. Puppet Theater: Create cat and mouse puppets to reenact the story or invent new adventures. Typography & Emotions: Explore how changing font sizes express feelings, then create expressive lettering. Create a Nursery Rhyme: Invent a new call-and-response rhyme using different animals and daily activities.