Nothing MOUSEY About These Books!

Since my "favorites" in all categories span wide timeframes, and especially so in the category of books, I'll use a "throwback" approach to this post. By featuring some prior reviews of outstanding titles, I'll maneuver my way to sharing a compact novel for adults that I read while on my recent hiatus. I've already added it to my Goodreads reviews, and shared it with friends, but I can't resist bringing ti to those of you who take time to read posts here. 

A star of that eventual review (below) is a mouse.

A thoroughly non-humanized mouse whose character and role i will never forget. 

When considering "mouse" characters in picture books, my thoughts immediately leap to PAUL O. ZELINSKY and BRIAN LIES.  Among the many Zelinsky titles I've praised are the fairy-tale-variant, CINDERELLA AND A MOUSE CALLED FRED (written by Deborah Hopkinson) and his much-earlier THE MAID, THE MOUSE, AND THE ODD-SHAPED HOUSE, which he authored and illustrated earlier in his career. Full disclaimer, Paul O. Zelinsky is also a fan of cats, featuring them in several picture books and personally in his life and family history. Even so, when a mouse breaks through in his work, it becomes a fully realized and celebrated character. 

Brian Lies has an undeniable penchant and talent for nature and rodent-y characters, though cats make appearances, too! My favorite of his MOUSE depictions is in illustrations for I. C. Springman's MORE, in which MAGPIE and MOUSE share a journey of transition and growth in a most exciting and fun way. (If you click MORE to find my brief review you can scroll down to find Brian's kind comments/interaction with the post!)

With those celebratory references to the potential for MOUSE characters in picture books, I segue into this novel-intrusion. It is a book for adults, but one that is suitable to youth, reading on their now or as read-aloud. I hope no one objects, because I am genuinely excited to think that some additional readers will find and enjoy this jewel of a book.

GODINE, 2024

Thank you to a social media friend who recommended this compact novel with the highest endorsement. I might not have picked it up without that, since my TBR pile was already high. I did, though, request it from the library and began reading as soon as it came in. 

The book in question is SIPSWORTH by Simon Van Booy. I loved every minute of the first read, realizing it would not be my last. In fact I read it twice again in as many weeks, because there is such a compelling arch to the overall plot, the development of each character, their interactions, and the time-spanning nest in which the story unfolds. 

The present-tense account of 83-year-old Helen Cartwright's "life" opens with passages that convincingly portray a woman who has lived a full and loving life but has prepared to simply wait for her own demise. I say convincingly because the reader is left with no cdoubt of her acceptance and resolve that her time cannot come soon enough, although there is no indication that she plans to hurry the process along. 

Her voice, that of the emerging characters in the story, and the unspoken voice of an unexpected and unforgettable rodent will stay with me forever. 

There are few books i choose to retain on my own shelves, knowing I can now always access through other means. A few though, and now this among them, NEED to stay in my possession. No, I am not stealing my library copy, but I have ordered one for myself as a "keeper".

I hope that's endorsement enough to encourage you to  give it a try. And, I promise, the next post here will celebrate an amazing NEW PICTURE BOOK! See you again then!

A Trio of Timeless Picture Books

The goal for anyone producing text and/or illustrations for picture books is to create books that are "classic", timeless, lasting. In this post I'll first feature a book from 2003. (That's FIFTEEN YEARS AGO already! How did that happen?) Then I'll share a release that was first published in Japan in 2003, but released in the USA in 2017. I'll end with a retold story with origins from centuries ago but newly released in 2018. 
So let's get this time-travel started!

Dial Books for Young Readers, 2003

THE SNAIL AND THE WHALE,  written by Julia Donaldson and illustrated by Axel Scheffler, is a truly charming book. With crisp lines  and vibrant jewel-tone illustrations, it offers an unusual twist on unexpected friendships. The seemingly effortless rhyme and repetitive nested text moves the story in wavelike rhythm from its tropical opening through the Arctic and beyond. The little snail uses slime as cleverly as Charlotte used her web to send messages that invite adventures and then to save the life of the whale. It's an undeniably heartwarming tale, and well worth dwelling on the expansive spreads and the tiny details, especially the eyes of snail, whale, and their community of critters. It's a wonderful read-aloud and could serve as mentor text for writing.

Chronicle Books, 2017

This next book was released in Japan that same year. THE FOX WISH was written by Kumiko Aman and illustrated by Komako Sakai. Often non-English books make their way to release in America, but more typically they do so within a year or so of the original publication. In this case, Chronicle Books released this English version in 2017, and I'm so happy that they did. 

Unlike the oversized, landscape layout suited to a world-traveling whale adventure, this gentle but lively story is told with subtle, woodland colors and produced in a smaller, square trim size. The art itself is deftly blended with blurred edges and  the text is interspersed with cursive font. The overall book design is an ideal format for this young-girl narrator and her little brother Lukie to make a most astonishing discovering. When they return to the field to retrieve her jump rope, they discover a family of foxes jumping rope. These are absolutely delightful foxes, not the least bit anthropomorphized, in my opinion, despite adopting human actions, voice, and names. They truly display fox-like body movements, postures, and expressions, not to mention attitudes. 
You love it already, right? 
But just wait.
This much of the story is pretty evident from the cover alone, but within the pages you'll find it is loaded with surprises. The foxes aren't good at jumping and the girl quickly coaches them to hold their tails up straight. The kids and kits are soon jumping together, having a wonderful time. It's only when Roxie, the girl, takes the handle to turn that she realizes it is her missing rope. Of course she tries to claim it, but one llittle fox has a tale to tell that shines a whole new light on the day, and on the rope. Seriously, this book should be in every home, classroom and library. What a conversation starter it is, for every age, which every classic book should be. 

Holiday House 2018

Finally, take a look at the most recent book, whose title will be immediately recognizable, since the origins of the tale are often attributed to Aesop: WHO WILL BELL THE CAT? This recent version is retold by Patricia McKissack and illustrated by Christopher Cyr. There are plenty who say that retold tales are not needed or wanted in the current "market" for picture books. This book demonstrates well that a lively, well-constructed text and vibrant, expressive art can make even the oldest tales feel fresh and appealing. 
McKissack provides cleverly generic names for the wildly varied barn mice (Smart Mouse, Friend Mouse, Wise Mouse, Wee, Tiny, and Teeny Mice). Cyr offers characteristic and masterful use of light and dark tones in the illustration, framing and highlighting the eyes, personalities, setting, and tension of the dramatic events as they unfold. Rich with personality, the barn rats make a signifiant appearance, as does a carload of "giants" (humans). Not an art stroke or a character is without purpose and occurr naturally. That includes the carload of humans who happen to be people of color, a rare but happy appearance for traditional tales. 

I recommend each of these wholeheartedly, and hope you'll check them out sooner rather than later. Their stories are universal, their artwork is absorbing, and the creators are from around the world. If you know any of these books already, chime in with your own opinions, or come back and comment after you've taken a close look of your own. You won't be disappointed.