The Carnival of the Animals and xylophone. From the beginning, Saint-Saëns regarded the work as a piece of fun. On 9 February 1886 he wrote to his publishers Durand in Paris that he was composing a work for the coming Shrove Tuesday, and confessing that he knew he should be working on his Third Symphony, but that this work was "such fun" (). He had apparently intended to write the work for his students at the École Niedermeyer, but it was first performed at a private concert given by the cellist Charles Lebouc on Shrove Tuesday, 9 March 1886. A second (private) performance was given
Ketzel, the Cat who Composed "School Library Journal" called it "A delightful read." "Kirkus Reviews" named it "Truly, the cat's meow." and "Publishers Weekly", in a star review, wrote "a lovely tale of cross-species affection and creativity". It was also reviewed by the Jewish Book Council, the "Jewish Journal", and the "Buffalo News". "Ketzel" won the 2016 Massachusetts Book Awards Picture Book/Early Reader Award, and the 2016 Gold Sydney Taylor Book Award Younger Reader Category Ketzel, the Cat who Composed Ketzel, the Cat who Composed is a children's picture book by Lesléa Newman. Based on a true story, it is about the friendship between Moshe