Customer Reviews

Why Mole Shouted and Other Stories

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Lore Segal, author of "Tell Me a Mitzi," recognizes the repetitious family scripts through which participants communicate something deeper than the surface talk. When an adult repeatedly asks a child to put on a coat, and the typical response is resistance, it's not just about the weather: One party is communicating genuine concern and a bit of control, and the recalcitrant one's protests represent a bid for independence and responsibility. Segal's four stories about a mole and her grandson share this theme of real yet "scripted" conflict, and one gets the feeling that their arguments have been rehearsed many times.

For example, in one of the four stories here, the two disagree about young Mole wearing a coat in the snow. Segal, as she does in two of the stories, introduces a fact related to the conflict: "Now you may or may not know that moles wear thick fur jackets" (similarly, "Now you may or may not know this-[moles] can't see without their glasses on." Mole only puts on some of the warm clothes; his grandmother sits by the fire and wears the wool coat that Mole was supposed to wear. Mole gets home, and his grandmother-quite inexplicably-has a cold, and says to the healthy child "I told you not to go out in the wind and snow!" Talk about boundary issues... Still, this ironic humor will be lost on most children, it's not that funny really, and it's beyond a lot of kids' understanding.

In general, other stories share the same problem: An interesting premise (You can tell by the titles: "Why Mole Shouted," "Why Mole Asked Why," "When Mole Lost His Glasses") followed by a fairly prosaic resolution with a little warmth and (directed, it seems, more at adults than at the child audience) but little humor or development. (I did, however, enjoy the rhyme of "serviettes" with "ant vinaigrette" in "Why Mole Asked Why.")

Sergio Ruzzier creates a wonderful little Mole-environment that fits the mysterious woods and their various creatures. It looks a bit like a forest and a bit like a dessert, with touches of Dali, very early animation, and a bit of Alice in Wonderland. These add a great deal of visual interest, and help disguise the observations about people that Segal makes through her moles. Unfortunately the stories' content and format (each story is divided into two small chapters, another device that seems contrives and adds little to the book) are simply not engaging enough for the illustrator to transform into a more than an average book.

The book has appealing characters, realistic communication problems, and excellent pictures, but the stories are mostly disappointing.

The book contains four stories:

When Mole Lost His Glasses
When Mole Wouldn't Zip His Jacket
Why Mole Shouted
Why Mole Asked Why

We expected at least one story to stand out. That didn't happen. In fact, the book survived only a single bedtime reading with my sons, ages 6 and 4. By the time we reached the final story, the only enjoyment they derived from the book was seeing how many times the word "mole" appeared.

The first story (When Mole Lost His Glasses) was what drew me to the book in the first place since my youngest son wears glasses. I'd hoped for a lesson on self responsibility but instead got a meandering (two chapters!) story that ended like this:

"Here you are," said Grandmother Mole. "I've fixed them."

Mole put on his glasses and kissed his grandmother and said, "You are my good Grandmother Mole."

"And you are my dear Mole," said Grandmother Mole, "even if you're never going to remember to put anything back where it belongs."

We cannot recommend this book. If you are looking for an early reader book or a bedtime story for young children that features animals, try Arnold Lobel's Frog and Toad series or Owl at Home; or Elsa Holmelund Minarik's Little Bear; and, naturally, A.A. Milne's original series of Winnie-the-Pooh books.

Why Mole Shouted And Other Stories is a charming and highly recommended picture book featuring four short stories by Lore Segal about a little mole who lives with his grandmother. Daily conflicts and problems including the little mole losing his glasses, shouting, and endlessly asking why make for a funny and touching story to share about the enduring bonds of family. A tender and upbeat story, featuring comical and colorful illustrations by Sergio Ruzzier.