By Della Hasselle
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
UNION SQUARE — Dozens of young readers gathered at a bookstore Monday afternoon to create dioramas based on various scenes from a new children's book, “But Who Will Bell the Cats?”
The book, which is loosely based on an Aesop fable, was written by Cythia von Buhler, and the narrative follows a mouse’s quest to join a princess’s party.
“I think I like the mouse because he’s clever and he has all these dreams about being spoiled like the princess’ cats,” Julia Greenwald, 9, said of the story.
The three-day event promoting the book will go through Tuesday evening, and takes place at Books of Wonder, an independent children's book store.
Kids from ages 1 to 11 enjoyed the event, which took scenes of the book and made them three-dimensional. But some had more experience with the design aspect than others.
“It’s sort of easy for me because you’re making a house and I like to build things,” Greenwald, a Rockland County resident, said confidently. “I like to make dollhouses with my grandpa.”
Most kids were enthralled by the cut-outs of the the fancy rugs, vases, wallpaper, molding and candlesticks as well as the paper doll characters that were provided for them. They also enjoyed posing with a gentleman dressed up as a giant mouse, and the free bells they were given to wear around their necks.
Von Buhler, who has always liked “3-D worlds” and has been labelled as "the ultimate surrealist," made a life-size diorama of her own in the storefront window.
She thinks that interactivity and children’s books will be more closely intertwined in the future.
“This is important especially for this generation. They love it because they’re growing up with 3D movies and video games,” the author said. “Eventually books will be electronic. You’ll open it and it will actually be an animation, and I’m getting ready to do that.”
