From Publishers Weekly
The spirit of glasnost lives on in this collaboration from the Russian and American creators of Here Comes the Cat! While cleaning out the attic, mouse brothers Joey and Marvin discover a box of old letters, which turn out to be the correspondence between another pair of siblings: great-great-granduncles Henry and Timothy. Joey and Marvin read on through the night and get a history lesson while forming a clearer image of their ancestors. The story is interspersed with blue-bordered replicas of the old letters, embellished with artwork and decorative script. The siblings' excitement over their find is nicely matched by the energetic anecdotes recorded by their relatives. The slender hands and feet and long eyelashes of these anthropomorphic mice help make their mannerisms believable. Rich gouache and watercolor paintings depict a verdant, hilly landscape and homey details such as vivid patchwork quilts and an Amish-inspired hope chest. This understated tale of brotherhood speaks volumes on the value of family. Ages 6-9.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From School Library Journal
Grade 2-4-- Helping their mother clean the attic, mouse brothers Joey and Marvin find a packet of illustrated letters exchanged by two brothers of an earlier generation, one who lived in the city, and the other who lived in the country. After reading the letters, they learn how, over the course of many years, the two reconciled their differences and expressed tolerance and love toward each other. At the end, presumably influenced by his great-great-granduncles' example, Marvin mellows out and speaks kindly to his own brother. The pictures are dense with color and domestic details, suggesting a life of materialistic suburban comfort for the modern-day mice, who are drawn with humanoid bodies bearing animal heads and tails. The letters form part of the text, so readers glean the story-within-a-story right along with the contemporary siblings. The epistolary concept is reminiscent of Vera B. Williams's record of another journey of discovery, Stringbean's Trip to the Shining Sea (Greenwillow, 1988), but this is a more labored delivery. The scope is too broad for the picture book format, with details that seem more suited to a novel. Still, it's a utilitarian effort that could lend itself to discussion of such themes as immigration, generations, acceptance, compromise, and family history. --Karen Litton, London Public Libraries, Ontario, Canada
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.
