My wife recently bought my cheese-loving daughter a book that any gastrokid would love. It’s called Anatole, a kid lit classic, by Eve Titus, originally published in 1956. I have vague memories of thumbing through a copy at my grandparents house, but I could be hallucinating an idealized childhood. And if you’ve seen this book and love food, you’ll know what I’m talking about: it’s about a mouse in Paris. To be intentionally vague about it, Anatole is a father who needs to figure out how to feed his growing brood (sound familiar?). He scavenges in a cheese factory, eventually providing anonymous consultation and tasting notes to the cheese company. I don’t want to (rimshot) spoil anything, but it is a fantastic book about friendship, family, and cheese.
—Hugh
Pixar is releasing Ratatouille this summer. The movie is about a rat in France whose desire is to become a chef. Perhaps a cousin of Anatole? I’ll look for a copy of the book. Keep your eyes open for the movie release.
I can’t believe someone else has this book.. A friend found a copy of it for me years ago, when I was in college or something. Thanks for reminding me to dig it out for my son.
I was up late watching TV once, and there was a cartoon called Anatole the cheese mouse on the Disney channel. It was adorable, but I’ve never seen it on again. Maybe it’s only on at 3 in the morning when I can’t sleep.
Anatole immediately came to mind when I read about this “original” concept about a rodent wanting to improve a restaurant on the skids. I hope someone will write in the mainstream press about this…