Grey Mouse - Hardcover

Vries, Anke De

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1886910766 ISBN 13: 9781886910768

Publisher: Lemniscaat USA, 2002

Synopsis

In this twist on an old tale, it is not the leopard who wants to change its spots, it's a lonely grey mouse who craves color and excitement in her life. To attract a friend, she assumes various guises: green to charm a frog, zippy stripes to appeal to a zebra, polka dots to lure a ladybug. When all the creatures laugh at her, she feels bluer than blue. Diving into some water to avoid a swarm of bees, the soggy mouse hears the squeaky little voice of an eager new playmate -- another grey mouse.

About this title

Language Notes:

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: Dutch

From Publishers Weekly:

Chipper graphics soup up a familiar premise about being yourself in this picture book from a Dutch team. Grey Mouse, feeling "blue," tries to cheer herself up by painting herself different colors. When she tries green, Frog laughs at her; when she attempts polka dots, the ladybugs fly away. The plot offers one or two twists before arriving at its predictable destination: restored to her natural shade, Grey Mouse finds friends who look just like her. Min makes every stroke count in her pictures. She paints Grey Mouse's head, ears and torso as exaggeratedly large shapes, while the expressive facial features and long skinny limbs seem crayoned in, for maximum fluidity. Ample white space sets off Min's canny approach to composition. For example, Grey Mouse's head occupies most of the spread as she, butternut-colored, declares, "Yellow is not a happy color"; in the upper left corner, viewers can glimpse a bird in matching hues who does not deign to stop and play. The artist's spare use of what appear to be collage elements (a florist's patterned wrapping paper; leaves printed on textured paper) subtly quickens the visual momentum. Ages 2-6.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Lemniscaat USA
• Publication date: 2002
• ISBN 10: 1886910766
• ISBN 13: 9781886910768
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 32
• Illustrator: Min Willemien