Review: Mice

Mice by Rose Fyleman

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



Giving Fyleman's 1932 poem a punch line in the illustration was a really fun idea--a moment for inference! As each page progressed, I found I was more intrigued in looking closely at Ehlert's technique. This isn't supposed to be what happens when we look at art, but by the time I looked at her saltine cracker and bag of Cheerios I was hooked on looking at this. Her technique is far looser and rough around the edges than I was expecting.

Eating the Alphabet was one of our favorite alphabet books when Bela was little in the 1990s--and that was much tighter in illustration style. I'm not sure what to make of the fact that I like this book, when I clearly dislikeEric Carle's 'you could do this yourself' style. I find it condescending to children. This book not so bad that way. The fun postmodern turn is that Ehlert illustrates the mice along with a variety of the art supplies, office supplies, and household junk she uses to make the book!



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