I Am the Mountain Mouse by Gianna Marino
2016; Johns Hopkins University Press; Volume: 70; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1353/bcc.2016.0805
ISSN1558-6766
Autores Tópico(s)Themes in Literature Analysis
ResumoReviewed by: I Am the Mountain Mouse by Gianna Marino Deborah Stevenson, Editor Marino, Gianna I Am the Mountain Mouse; written and illus. by Gianna Marino. Viking, 2016 [34p] ISBN 978-0-451-46955-7 $16.99 Reviewed from galleys R 5-8 yrs In several very short paneled stories, one of a quartet of mice is a vainglorious little guy, always insisting he can perform feats beyond the reach of the others while crying “I am the MOUNTAIN MOUSE!” However, his friends realize before he does that the mountain he climbs is actually the leg of a camel, the pool he’s diving into is the cat’s dish, and his ascent of a tree means a much more painful descent. When it comes time to hit the beach and his friends spot a shark’s fin in the water, has Mountain Mouse learned his lesson? (Spoiler: sort of.) Hubristic downfalls are ever popular with young kids, who are deeply skeptical of peers’ overambitious claims to status, so they’ll be tickled by Mountain Mouse’s reliable comeuppance but also be cheered by his happy resilience. The short-story-within-a-picture-book approach and graphic-novel-type format makes this a natural for early readers as well as readaloud listeners, who will both appreciate repeated touches (Mountain Mouse’s downfall is always presaged by his noticing his friends’ “glum faces”) and peppy speech-balloon dialogue. The gouache and pencil art balances soft textures with precisely curling mouse tails and the geometry of panel borders; with their huge eyes and sassy bearing, the mice seem kin to Anita Lobel’s vivacious critters. A natural bridge to Rostoker-Gruber’s Ferret Fun (BCCB 3/11) or Grey’s Traction Man Is Here (BCCB 5/05), this will also satisfy in its own right as a neat and enjoyably moralistic comedy. [End Page 82] Copyright © 2016 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois
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