Little Mouse [Hardcover]

Lida Dijkstra (Author), Piet Grobler (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 4 and up | Grade Level: P and up

One day as an old hermit is resting in the meadow an owl flies by, dropping his prey, a little mouse, into the old man's hands. Surprised and delighted, the hermit takes in his new friend as his own daughter. When it's time for Little Mouse to go out into the world, the duo sets off in search of the strongest being on earth -- which turns out to be, surprisingly, a mouse.  A highly acclaimed South African artist's rendition of a time-honored theme.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 2 - In this engaging retelling of the "Mouse Bride," a little mouse is adopted by a hermit. When the time comes to marry, Little Mouse requests "the strongest being on earth." So together they climb to the sun, who defers to the cloud, who can block its light. Likewise, the cloud bows to the wind's greater strength, who in turn yields to the mountain. But even the mountain denies the position of strongest, confessing he is crumbling from a powerful force on the inside: a mouse. Grobler's charming, stylized color illustrations are the highlight of this version. All of the characters are expressively drawn, from Little Mouse's huge black eyes to the hermit's exuberant hair and wide smile, and the flora and fauna are subtly detailed. Dijkstra's text is shorter and simpler than other versions, making it accessible for younger readers. There are no source notes, but otherwise this book is a welcome addition for larger collections. - Robin L. Gibson, formerly at Perry County District Library, New Lexington, OH
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

PreS-K. Young children may have already heard this tale about finding the strongest thing in the world in one of its other folkloric versions. Here, a lonely hermit finds a daughter when a mouse-girl drops from the sky. Eventually, mouse-girl becomes old enough to want to marry "the strongest being on earth." Hoping to satisfy his daughter, the hermit takes her to the sun. The sun reports that the cloud can block his light, so the cloud must be the strongest. The cloud defers to the wind, but the wind can't move a mountain. The mountain can't say he is the strongest, either, as someone is making him crumble. Happily for the daughter, that someone is another mouse. This Dutch import gets points for its brisk pacing and for its stylized yet child-friendly artwork. The faces of the characters are cleverly exaggerated so that the hermit and the mouse resemble one another, and the airy pages are home to birds and trees that enhance the elemental feeling of nature's forces. Ilene Cooper
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Lemniscaat imprint of Boyds Mills Press; Translated, Illustrated edition (October 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1932425063
• ISBN-13: 978-1932425062
• Product Dimensions: 10.4 x 8.5 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,293,399 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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