Review: The Mouse with the Question Mark Tail by Richard Peck

Mice make such endearing characters. Jack and Gus from Cinderella, Mickey Mouse, Despereaux from DiCamillo’s book. And now, enter “Mouse Minor,” a mouse with unknown origins and an affection for alliteration.

Set during Queen Victoria’s reign, Mouse Minor (lineage: unclear; stature: decidedly small) sets off on an adventure spanning the the grounds, outbuildings and buildings proper of Buckingham Palace to seek his place in life. He overcomes fears and perseveres when answers are not quickly revealed. A large cast of delightful animals helps Mouse Minor find his way. If you know a child who enjoys adventure stories with more daring than danger, more thrills and less chills, this tender-hearted read may be what you need.

Richard Peck is an established children’s author with awards under his belt. He does not disappoint with The Mouse with the Question Mark Tail. I picked this story up on a whim, looking for something a little different to read, and was not disappointed. I may have even teared up once or twice… those mice. Small characters with big things to prove! They get to me every time!

Publisher: Dial, 2013     Pages: 224

Rating: 4 Stars     Source: Public Library

Owly: The Way Home and the Bittersweet Return by Andy Runton

Owly is a popular graphic novel at my library. I had to place a hold on it and I took that as a good sign, that kids must really like this book. I was not disappointed.

An unlikely friendship forms between an owl and a worm. Together, they search for Wormy's home and parents. In the second adventure, they befriend a pair of hummingbirds. Both stories focus on friendship as they help each other out of tough situations. Owly is particularly sensitive to his friends' needs. It's impossible not to love him.

Owly is nearly wordless but I was impressed with how Runton conveyed conversations and emotions. I "heard" their conversations in my head even though there weren't any words on the page. Instead of text, the speech bubbles hold pictures and other symbols. The artwork is skillful in conveying meaning. The simplest strokes, like the arch of an eyebrow, tell readers if Owly is thinking, scared, happy, etc. So, while there isn't much traditional text, I found I was scrutinizing the pictures and reading everything -- expressions, gestures, background and the "speech" bubbles. I'm not used to paying so much attention to the pictures but I really enjoyed doing so with Owly.

Owly is a great book to read with a young child to ask him/her "What's going on in this picture?" or "What are they saying now?" to help encourage a child's narration skills and to draw on their vocabulary to describe what's happening on the page. 

The artwork is as cute as the story. Runton's cartoon-like style and the brief use of text will appeal to reluctant readers and graphic novel readers. An innocent tale of friendship, I thoroughly enjoyed Owly.

Publisher: Top Shelf Productions, 2004.     Pages: 160
Rating: 4 Stars     Source: Public Library

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

Unlike most fairy tales, Alice in Wonderland isn’t very dark. Sure, there’s the off-with-their-heads! Queen of Hearts but she wasn’t really that scary and no one was actually beheaded. The King wasn’t quite the push over as I remember him being in the cartoon movie. He was just ditzy like most of the characters and offered pardon to all whose heads the Queen demanded. I never felt anxious for Alice, like she was in real danger, because she wasn’t. She manages to bully her way out of most situations by eating mushrooms and becoming too large for people to trifle with. This is definitely an ok story for little ones but they will likely find the original hard to read and many of the puns may be lost on them. The Mock Turtle episode was boring, his story lasting way too long for me. The caterpillar and Mad Hatter scenes were a lot of fun with their riddles. Alice was a silly little girl, rather ditzy and not very clever except for the fact that she has a fantastic dream. I enjoyed the poems at the beginning. They were my favorite part of the story. It seems that many of the characters are stand ins for people Carroll knew and so many inside jokes are not readily evident (nor do they need to be to enjoy the story). I read the story from The Complete Works of Lewis Carroll: A Wonderland of Stories, Nonsense and Wit.
Publisher: Penguin Books, 1988     Source: IC Public Library
Rating: 2.5 Stars                             Pages: 106 (p. 15-120 in this edition)