Customer Reviews

What the Mouse Found

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"It was a night of moonlight and silver, when the grass stalks whispered quietly to each other in the Big Field and clouds like tall ships sailed across the sky."

That's the opening sentence of "What the Mouse Found & Other Stories," a slim new volume from Charles de Lint, published by Subterranean Press. If you think it sounds like the start of a children's tale, be sure to pat yourself on the back for cleverness and insight -- that's exactly what it is.

But with de Lint, you can usually count on stories within stories, and in this case, there's a wonderfully personal touch to the tales. De Lint's wife, the lovely and talented MaryAnn Harris, is an accomplished seamstress and toymaker, and these short stories were written by Charles to accompany some of the toys she made nieces, nephews and the children of friends. All of the stories were written in the 1980s, back when de Lint was just finding his storyteller's voice, and about half were never before published; none have been collected until now.

De Lint notes in his introduction, "Kissing Frogs," the influence of A.A. Milne and Kenneth Grahame on these stories, a connection that is readily apparent. Here, toys come to life, the wind plays and spirits come down from trees, all to the delight of de Lint's young protagonists.

Photos of MaryAnn's creations accompany the text. The stories are very short, easy to digest and easily read aloud. Though brief, they are filled with the rich imagery and almost-alive characterizations that are to be expected in de Lint's writing. So don't be surprised if, while reading, you feel a light breeze tickle your feet, hear the crunch of leaves and far-off voices or smell, just at the edge of imagination, a fresh chocolate-chip cookie.

by Tom Knapp, Rambles.(net) editor

A delightful treasure for young children and for the child in all of us. I have raised both of my daughters on De Lint's books... and even though they are both teens now, they thoroughly enjoyed What The Mouse Found.

Please don't ever stop writing, Charles. Your gift is a gift for all of us.

I read all of Charles de Lint's books.
However, this one got my 11 year old into reading his books.
It's a fun and fanciful read suitable to all ages.