The Mouse and his Child

Title: The Mouse and His Child

Author: Russell Hoban

Pages: 176

Grade Level: 5&6

               I bought this book because it was written by Russell Hoban.  Russell Hoban has written the Frances books and a few more children’s books.  I enjoy the Frances series as do my students, so I was excited to see a more “young adult” book by Russell Hoban. I was rather disappointed as the book is in my opinion rather dark, dank and despairing.  It’s perhaps misplaced as a children’s book since it’s written in satire that would be appreciated by adults as it explores clearly adult themes.  

               It’s written about a father and son mouse who are wind-up toys.  They are purchased from the wonderful toy store and taken to a home.  They are taken care of for a while, but eventually they break and are thrown away. A tramp finds them and fixes them.  Then he sets them free, but they are only able to move when wound. 

               Since they can’t move on their own, they fall into the hands of a thieving, horrible rat.  The rat forces them to work for him in his “army.” They eventually escape thanks to a depressed frog, but they are still in terrible danger.  In a terrible, bloody battle, many of their enemies are slaughter, but the rat is still pursuing them.  Next they join an acting troupe, but the show ends in another bloody battle.  This time, the rat is injured, but somehow manages to survive. 

The story continues much in the fashion; I suppose if you looked hard enough you could possibly find a thread of redemption. Suffice to say, I didn’t particularly enjoy this book, but I generally have a large dislike of violence and don’t care to read about depressing things.  I can’t say that I’d recommend this book for a school library, but some adults many read this book and appreciate his underlying themes about life.