The Mouse and His Child

About this book

The images stay with you long after the book is done: the toy mouse and his father, on a journey together joined hand in hand; Manny Rat, the nefarious lord of the junkyard, stalking the toy mice for their clockwork parts; Uncle Frog, spouting wisdom and nonsense from within a glove; and the Bonzo Dog Food dog, repeating himself endlessly on a label, fading away to the last visible dog...

Russell Hoban's novel is many things: a stirring adventure story, a sharp-witted comedy, and the moving tale of a father and son struggling to return to a state of grace.

Called one of the great works of children's literature of the twentieth century -- but with an audience that spans ages and times -- The Mouse and His Child has been lovingly re-illustrated by Caldecott Medalist David Small for a new generation and a new millennium.

Reviews

Praise for The Mouse and His Child

"The progress of the mechanical pilgrims to a new and improved version of their lost paradise (where toys become self-winding and enemies friends) is told with a gravity that is part-biblical, part-Chaplinesque and wholly unforgettable." -- The Washington Post

"The illustrator David Small is an inspired choice to rearm the shrew battalions, to redesign the dolls' house and to clothe our heroes in fresh new plush." -- The New York Times Book Review

"Splendid... This is a book that can be returned to many times at many ages, and there will always be something new to be found in it." -- Horn Book

"A rich, disturbing, very touching book." -- Kirkus Reviews