Customer Reviews

Creepy Castle

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

A dashing, green-clad, Robin Hood-like mouse and his dressed-to-the-nines wife (think of the "Robin Hood" movie with Olivia de Haviland) find adventure while confront scary objects (e.g., bats, a green monster with whiskers, a mysterious person following them along the way) in and around a castle. The only real violence is the stabbing (without blood) of the monster. The intruder, on the other hand, gets bumped into a river when he aims his bow and arrow at some geese!

There are no words (watercolorist Goodall wrote more than 35 such books), but the fairy-tale setting, the beautiful illustrations, and the foldaway half pages that reveal action when peeled back will stimulate the young "reader." For very small fry, somewhat older readers, especially girls, may not relate to the female mouse always being scared, and the male mouse always coming to her rescue. But then, while the book is innovative in the use of foldaway half pages, the story is fairly traditional. In general, this is a very fun book that promises lots of good quality talk between you and your young one!

What a cute idea!

A medieval mouse couple find an adventure, and your child gets to imagine the dialogue and create the narration as she goes along.

The story is told without words, using half-pages that show action (each page has a little page you turn to see what is happening - for instance, the mice approach a drawbridge... flip the tiny page, and you see them crossing the drawbridge.)

It's a small book, but nicely illustrated. We like it!

My son LOVED the John Goodall books.....they have no words, but have wonderful illustrations that tell the story. My son would make up the story in his own words as we went through the book. Creepy Castle was his favorite and he never tired of it and neither did I! Can't wait for my future grandbabies to "read" this one to their Grandma some day!

My niece made me "read" this to her over and over and over again. It has no words, so you can tell the story to suit the interests of the listener (for a one and a half year old, focusing on the mice climbing UP the stairs or saying "Bye-bye" to the frog boatman). It is indeed a cute book, although for an adult one or two times through it would suffice. . . .

I couldn't agree more with the other 2-Star Review. Don't bother adding this to your collection. While John Goodall illustrates gorgeous books, the plot on this one is seriously lacking -- and not worth the greatly overpriced cost. Don't let the cute cover featuring an adorable mouse maiden in Renaissance garb fool you. I bought this for my 4-year-old daughter who absolutely adores Goodall's other classics: "Shrewbettina's Birthday," "Naughty Nancy Goes to School," and "The Midnight Adventures of Kelly, Dot & Esmeralda." This one, however, not only fell flat, but the images of the bats and dragon scared her to the point where we had to put the book away for some time before she was willing to look at it again -- and this is a child who is not easily scared. If you like wordless books, and aren't familiar with Goodall's other classics, the best to start with are "Shrewbettina's Birthday" and the "Midnight Adventures of Kelly, Dot & Esmeralda."

This is a wonderful little book by illustrator John Goodall, and it is hard to believe it is watercolor as the pictures are so detailed. The rare 1998 hardcover book has a matching pictorial binding under the dustjacket, so if the DJ is damaged you still have the book cover. Goodall uses a unique trick in having half of a page covering a portion of the next scene, making it more suspenseful. The story is set in medieval times, as a young brave mouse and his lady friend that looks like a princess go out for a walk. The find a deserted castle in the woods and decide to explore. Along the way they meet many dangers, including a rat villain that has been following them. The book refrains from any spoken words, allowing you as the reader to interpret what is happening and add your own words as you read it. This makes the book appropriate for a wide age group. The small size is perfect pack anywhere. I have to say, that after reading this particular book hundreds of times to my son as a baby, a toddler, and a young boy, I have kept in on my shelf now that he is a teenager. It is too beautiful to let it go, and someday I may have grandchildren to read it to.

John Goodall illustrates beautiful wordless books, and this is no exception (so I've given this two stars, instead of one). But unlike some of his other books our family has "read" (such as Paddy Goes Traveling), this does not have a very interesting plot. In a nutshell, two mice visit an abandoned castle, are locked inside and face a few perils -- each one easily handled by the male mouse, a knight -- before safely returning home. The characters are flat; the knight is brave, the lady timid. Yes, it is a fairy tale, but many traditional tales are far more interesting. Skip this one, especially if you have a daughter.