W – The World-Famous Cheese shop Break-In

The World Famous Cheese shop Break-In written by Sean Taylor and illustrated by Hannah Shaw (2015)

Daddypops has some ideas about how to get stinky cheese from the cheese shop. Unfortunately, his ideas don’t usually work. Walking in and acting casual was not so easy for a family of rats. The catapult didn’t work, and neither did robbing the cheese van or hiding out in the cheese factory. The only idea that seemed to have any merit at all was digging a tunnel into the cheese shop, at least digging was something rats were good at. But after digging all night, being scared by the worms underground, moving heavy stones, and hitting a water pipe, the rats finally surfaced… in the underwear shop next door to the cheese shop!  But that didn’t stop Daddypops, as a matter of fact it gave him another idea… Daddypops opened up an underwear shop for rodents. He made so much money in his shop, that they could afford to buy all the stinky cheese they wanted.

This is a picture book for the older reader. There are a lot of illustrations and details in the text that bring humor to the story.

Older kids will enjoy the characters’ thieving personalities and unplanned antics. The illustrations are laid out more like a graphic novel in some places which will also appeal to the older reader.

Most of the rat crafts I found are too ‘cutesy’ for this story. These rats are trickier and funnier that the cute little mouse-type arts and crafts that are readily available. But how about make some rat shapes to hide around the house? 

Or maybe try a sample of some stinky cheeses plain or in a soup or sandwich for lunch.