Review by Booklist Review
Ages 4-8. As might be expected, there's a lot for children to enjoy in Brett's latest offering. Both text and art reach well beyond the familiar story to achieve a humorous twist. The artwork is gorgeous. Each double-page spread, crammed with fascinating, intricate decorative flourishes, contains several parts: the cleverly and appropriately bordered central illustration depicting the text, and the decorative panels, one on each side of the main picture, that elaborate on or add new bits of information to the alternating main stories about two pairs of married mice. These side panels, which don't present a sequential story in the manner of some of Brett's picture books, focus largely on the misadventures of a townwise cat and a countrywise owl, each of whom would like nothing better than mice for dinner. The pictorial high jinks take an especially comedic turn at the end when the owl and the cat decide it's their turn to change places. With animal characters so realistic they look as though they might leap from the pages (fetching clothing notwithstanding), this playful retelling is certain to become a favorite. ~--Stephanie Zvirin
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
In a starred review, PW called this a "rich interpretation of a timeless fable. The text conveys the culture gap between the mice with a good deal of humor; the art brims with droll details." Ages 5-8. (Jan.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 3-A new spin on the familiar fable. A mouse couple living in a town are enchanted by the simple life of the country, and, while on a picnic, meet a pair of local mice who long for the luxury and convenience of the city. Homes are swapped, but they find that reality is different from their expectations. Both couples end up fleeing from unfamiliar, predators-a cat in town and an owl in the country-all the way home. The owl and cat collide, and in an original twist, negotiate a territorial swap of their own. Traditionally, the town resident is portrayed as a pompous snob who turns his nose up at the country dweller's simple fare, while the country mouse is a folksy bumpkin. In Brett's version, the town mice are as charming and naive as their country cousins. Furthermore, the original fable depicts country life as utterly tranquil, but the city mice find that it is anything but serene. Brett's narrative alternates the parallel mishaps of the two sets of mice with lively, smooth writing and a deft touch of humor. As with any of her books, the illustrations are rich with meticulous detail. The natural fibers of the clothes of the country mice are as realistic in texture as the fine beaded and bedecked clothing of the town mice. The text is neatly integrated into each double-page spread. Lozenges at either side portray the activities of the two predators and are bordered with natural objects such as buttons, stamps, coins, and safety pins. Because of the wealth of small details, the book is better suited for one-on-one sharing than as a group read aloud.-Donna L. Scanlon, Lancaster County Library, PA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
Two mouse couples engage in a house swap in a beautifully embellished version of Aesop's simple tale. The animals are in lavish costumes indicating their station in life as the domestic drama moves back and forth in a series of alternating scenes. Double-page spreads feature cunning border elements and side bars depicting the villain -- country owl or city cat -- of the particular scene. From HORN BOOK 1994, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Brett's (Christmas Trolls, 1993, etc.) embellishment of the familiar tale is clever: Each mouse here has a wife, and, like many contemporary couples, these two decide to exchange homes for a while. What follows, in alternating country and city scenes, is the result of their naïveté concerning their new environments, including both humorous misconceptions (`` `Is the bathtub leaking?' `No, we're in the country now,' he said. `Those are raindrops' '') and narrow escapes (a cat lurks in side panels in the town scenes, an owl in the country). Brett's narrative is amusing, but best here are her meticulous illustrations of the appealing creatures and their exquisitely imagined world, with the town's delicately patterned crockery and lavish larder rivaling the country's elegantly limned wildlife for interest. A strong entry from a popular artist. (Folklore/Picture book. 4-8)
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
