Customer Reviews

Martin's Mice

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Once again, Dick King-Smith uses his talents to bring to life a barn-yard full of animals that depict many of today's societal problems while keeping it very humorous and childlike. Martin's Mice is an excellently told story that relates to children through the lovable character of Martin, the cat. Children quickly connect to this main character. They understand the feeling of being different and maybe even shunned by others. The way Martin cares for the mice even though he isn't suppose to appeals to a child's compassionate nature. It is then that King-Smith helps the reader to see that although Martin is a good "person" he still has some growing and learning to do. A reader could get a variety of messages out of Martin's Mice: Do unto others as you would have them do to you: Don't try to make someone be your friend: Respect everyone even if they are different from you and don't even want to be like you; Just becase two people are different doesn't mean they can't be friends; and on and on. Ultimately, Martin's Mice is a fabulously entertaining story with plenty of action and suspense to keep a reader interested. Read it! You too will love Martin and his quirky ways.

I think Martin's Mice is a realy good book, because there's a cat who hates eating mice but his mother makes him eat at least on bit of mouse. Martin thinks they are really cute and adorable and wants to have one as a pet. When he gets older his mother stops catching them food. Martin and his brother and sister have to catch their own food. Luckily the farmer's daughter starts feeding him cat food. Martin decides that he will catch a mouse for a pet, so one day he goes and catches one for a pet. He catches a lady mouse, but what he does not know is that she is going to have children, too. I also like it because it was really funny, and it put a smile on my face the whole way through.

Dick King Smith, the author of MartinŐs Mice, is best known for Babe the Gallant Pig, which of course was turned into a movie that is a lot better known than any of his books. The movie is one of the best childrenŐs films ever, and the book is even better. But it does have one disadvantage. The British dialect in Babe, while charming, is so thick it is difficult for many American parents and teachers to read aloud, and for American children to follow. DonŐt get me wrong. I love Babe and have read it aloud several times. But it is not easy.

What I like about MartinŐs Mice is that it has many of the same qualities that made Babe such a joy, including the gentleness, the emphasis on kindness, and the quirky, understated humor, but without the heavy dialect. There are Britishisms sprinkled throughout the book, but they are manageable with an American tongue.

In terms of plot and character, MartinŐs Mice is not quite up to the standards of Babe. But then how many books are? Like Babe, Martin is a farm animal who marches to a different drummer. HeŐs a cat who loves mice. But he loves them as pets, not as meals. The novel focuses on how he learns to love them more as friends and equals than as pets. Martin is a sweet, gentle character, but there is no denying he does not have the charm of Babe. And the novelŐs plot seems a little disjointed. The ending felt like it sprang on us out of nowhere.

Still, my six-year-old daughter and I both enjoyed the book. If you are looking for a childrenŐs book full of nice, gentle humor and kind characters, this is a good choice.

Hi. My name is Sam Gonzalez. I am eight years old. Martin's Mice was one of the best Dick king-smith books I've ever read and I've read a lot of them. Believe me. It's funny. Why would a cat want to keep mice for pets? Maybe he was a vegetarian. I don't know what he is, but I like him a lot lot lot. You should read it at least once.

This is a really good book about a cat named Martin who befriends mice, even though that's not what cat's do. All his siblings call him a wimp, because they say he's afraid to catch a mouse; he knows he's not a wimp! He just doesn't want to eat a mouse! They're nice, why would he want to eat one? Martin keeps mice as pets upstairs in a bathtub. He does everything he can to keep them happy. But when they escape, he doesn't understand why they wanted freedom so bad. Only after he becomes a locked up housepet does he understand and escape himself to go back to his home. THE END

I've read this book 5 times, it's so good! Every time I was always sad it was over...just because it's so good. It's about a cat who, instead of eats mice, he keeps one as a pet and friend, despite everyones mocking and laughing at him. It just goes to show that opposites do attract and nothing can keep good friends apart! It's very creative and very well written! The author-Dick King Smith-has published several books and of all the ones I've read, this is definately my favorite. And Dick King Smith himself is not only an excelent author, but also an excelent human being...as I have written to him and he wrote back to me...twice! :) So behind this great book, there's an even greater person. I can garantee your children will love this book, and his many others...I do!

MARTINS MICE IS A WONDERFUL STORY . IF YOU READ IT YOU WILL NOW FAST LIKE A SPEEDING BULLET . IT HAS FUNNY PICTURES AND THREMENDOUS PARTS . ITS VERY FUNNY IN MANY DIFFERENT WAYS. BY - J R

I think that Martin's Mice was okay. I think that the story should have a better ending and there should be 2 more books about Martin. The whole book is about Martin getting mice. It's like he had a whole farm of them. He always ran into one mouse - Eight (that's one of his mice if you didn't know). Maybe he should have encountered some of his other mice. Martin belonged to a family of mice-eaters, only his dad understood him. Why don't you read the book to find out more about Martin. I'll give you a few hints - he's a tabby, he has lots of friends, he's not stupid and of course he's not a WIMP! That's pretty much all. Like I said, read the book to find out more. Thank you for your time.

"Martin's Mice" is a very charming book for a younger child (5-8 years old) who likes animals. It's a really nice story about a kitten who befriends mice, that can teach the reader about looking at the world from another being's point of view.

I purchased this book about 20 years ago for my nephew. It's the story of a cat that didn't want to kill and eat the mice.....he loved them. Not only was it one of his favorite books as a child but mine as well as an adult. Everyone should read this book as it is great for children and adults. I'm reading it again now 20 years later. Love it.