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3.57 AVERAGE
3.57 AVERAGE
So I decided to listen to Stuart Little because I had never read it. I loved [b:Charlotte's Web|24178|Charlotte's Web|E.B. White|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1439632243s/24178.jpg|987048] and assumed Stuart Little would be just as awesome. Boy was I wrong. Whereas, Charlotte's Web stands the test of time and can truly be called a classic, I don't think Stuart Little would have been published today. It is more than a bit of a mess. The premise is fine if you can suspend some disbelief. Stuart is born a mouse to a wealthy New York family. He has a pretty unremarkable life with the Little's who treat him no different than they do their other son. The book is very episodic and disjointed however with very little cohesion to the plot. Stuart just jumps from one adventure to another. He sails a boat on the pond. He get rolled up in the window shade and stuck. He gets dumped in the trash and sent out to sea. All of these adventures make sense for the life of a two-inch mouse. Then he meets Margalo the bird and things go screwy. There is a plot by the family cat that results in Margalo flying the coop. Stuart is heartbroken and takes off after her. He does have a bit of a crush on her of course. Then he gets an invisible car, teaches a class, meets a two inch girl for a horrible date and then continues his journey. Nothing in these final chapters makes a bit of sense. Why is the car invisible? And what kind of model car actually runs on gas? Why would a school principal have a mouse teach a class? Stuart is a horrible teacher who throws away the normal lessons for a discussion on being chairman of the world. Super helpful! He is overly rude and dismissive and completely unlikeable when he goes on his date with Harriet simply because it didn't go according to his plan. And then the book just ends with Stuart driving off to the north. That's it. Game over. No more information. Such a strange book that I am definitely not going to recommend.
Review on The Lemon Librarian.
What a bizarre read.
Understand, this is a fantasy book. Suspend disbelief at the parents', community's, and strangers' responses to Stuart Little, a mouse who stands two feet tall, who sleeps in a cigarette box and lives with his family in New York City. He delights in sailing boats in the park, landing in misadventures with the house cat, Snowball, and beautiful bird, Margalo. For children, this may be an imaginative treat. It's a classic story with charm, little thought, and strange events.
This book left me mystified. I found the narrative disjointed, as the story randomly bumbles along, describing Stuart's misadventures with becoming lost in the house, sailing straight and true, nearly being killed by garbage truck, not-so invisible miniature cars, one little person named Harriet, and a random journey to find the misssing Margalo. This lacks the emotional impact of E.B. White's classic, Charlotte's Web, a favorite of mine. Though, I liked Stuart Little and his silliness as a sailor, teacher, and nutty little mouse.
Like Charlotte's Web, Stuart Little included original black and white line drawings from Garth Williams, who also illustrated the Laura Ingall Wilder's Little House series. These delightful illustrations complimented the story and highlighted various dilemmas of the little mouse, like getting ready in the morning, leaving home, and traveling to find a missing friend. These illustrations were one of my favorite things about the tiny book.
I thought this book was going somewhere--not sure where, but somewhere--and then it ends. It simply ends. If you're looking for conclusion, you won't find that here. You never know what becomes of Stuart's journey, Margalo, or even little questions about Harriet's being or how humans can birth mice...
In the end, this little literary experience of Stuart Little earns little praise from me, due to its lack of cohesion, answers, and conclusion. Two out of five lemons for its charm and interesting characters and events, but it would have benefited from a tight ending and more congruity between scenes.
What a bizarre read.
Understand, this is a fantasy book. Suspend disbelief at the parents', community's, and strangers' responses to Stuart Little, a mouse who stands two feet tall, who sleeps in a cigarette box and lives with his family in New York City. He delights in sailing boats in the park, landing in misadventures with the house cat, Snowball, and beautiful bird, Margalo. For children, this may be an imaginative treat. It's a classic story with charm, little thought, and strange events.
This book left me mystified. I found the narrative disjointed, as the story randomly bumbles along, describing Stuart's misadventures with becoming lost in the house, sailing straight and true, nearly being killed by garbage truck, not-so invisible miniature cars, one little person named Harriet, and a random journey to find the misssing Margalo. This lacks the emotional impact of E.B. White's classic, Charlotte's Web, a favorite of mine. Though, I liked Stuart Little and his silliness as a sailor, teacher, and nutty little mouse.
Like Charlotte's Web, Stuart Little included original black and white line drawings from Garth Williams, who also illustrated the Laura Ingall Wilder's Little House series. These delightful illustrations complimented the story and highlighted various dilemmas of the little mouse, like getting ready in the morning, leaving home, and traveling to find a missing friend. These illustrations were one of my favorite things about the tiny book.
I thought this book was going somewhere--not sure where, but somewhere--and then it ends. It simply ends. If you're looking for conclusion, you won't find that here. You never know what becomes of Stuart's journey, Margalo, or even little questions about Harriet's being or how humans can birth mice...
In the end, this little literary experience of Stuart Little earns little praise from me, due to its lack of cohesion, answers, and conclusion. Two out of five lemons for its charm and interesting characters and events, but it would have benefited from a tight ending and more congruity between scenes.
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
My vague memories of this book are thinking it was strange but enjoying it. But based on the little bit of the plot I remember, I would no longer enjoy or recommend it.
Awwwww this is such a weird little tale about a little man (mouse?) that is bordering absurd and almost magical. Honestly, this is the type of story I really like. So, let's get down to how I ended up deducting stars along the way. Because seriously, the book is not getting better the more I keep reading.
That is, just stinking cute. Immediate 5 stars.
(I know. My standard is not so high.)
And then Stuart is smitten with a bird, and he leaves home to look for her.
Along the way he becomes a substitute teacher for a school while we are never told that he's actually ever receiving any formal education himself. If this is a jab on how Western education institution hires an unqualified person, I'd never know.
Next thing happening is Stuart sending a letter for a beautiful girl he sees and suggesting that they're meeting for an afternoon together. Basically, a date, but heyyyy dude, aren't you embarking on this journey because you want to look for another girl that you deem beautiful? At this point Stuart truly feels and sound like an old man during the 40s (just like his writer) and it ruins the shroud of magic into a thousand scraps to me.
A star deducted.
And then this sentence.
Damn. The vanity of whiteman mouse doesn't really change, huh? Is this a self-insert moment? Is this E. B. White projecting himself?
Another star deducted.
But then the final blow came. Stuart is upset because the plan he made for The Date with the beautiful, little stranger (girl) he sees at the post office is fallen apart. She offered to do another thing together instead (because of course, the most important matter is that she actually bothered to come meeting him) and enjoy the rest of the day, but Stuart sulks anyway because it's not HIS PLAN and so he REFUSES her idea, topping his awful treatment of her by saying this shit:
EWWWWWWW.
What a misogynistic mouse.
I hope you dead being stepped on by a truck, Stuart.
(Lol just kidding but half-serious, probably)
...And that's how this book ends up being rated a two-star, albeit starting very strong with a five-star.
Mr. Little made him a tiny bed out of four clothespins and a cigarette box.
That is, just stinking cute. Immediate 5 stars.
(I know. My standard is not so high.)
And then Stuart is smitten with a bird, and he leaves home to look for her.
Along the way he becomes a substitute teacher for a school while we are never told that he's actually ever receiving any formal education himself. If this is a jab on how Western education institution hires an unqualified person, I'd never know.
Next thing happening is Stuart sending a letter for a beautiful girl he sees and suggesting that they're meeting for an afternoon together. Basically, a date, but heyyyy dude, aren't you embarking on this journey because you want to look for another girl that you deem beautiful? At this point Stuart truly feels and sound like an old man during the 40s (just like his writer) and it ruins the shroud of magic into a thousand scraps to me.
A star deducted.
And then this sentence.
Stuart was trying to make his voice sound as though he had an English accent.
Damn. The vanity of white
Another star deducted.
But then the final blow came. Stuart is upset because the plan he made for The Date with the beautiful, little stranger (girl) he sees at the post office is fallen apart. She offered to do another thing together instead (because of course, the most important matter is that she actually bothered to come meeting him) and enjoy the rest of the day, but Stuart sulks anyway because it's not HIS PLAN and so he REFUSES her idea, topping his awful treatment of her by saying this shit:
I’m afraid a woman can’t understand these things.
EWWWWWWW.
What a misogynistic mouse.
I hope you dead being stepped on by a truck, Stuart.
(Lol just kidding but half-serious, probably)
...And that's how this book ends up being rated a two-star, albeit starting very strong with a five-star.
A bit of an odd premise all around. Why is it okay that a human birthed a mouse? And that a mouse and a 2-inch human go on a date?
It's a bit of a history lesson into some of the vernacular and activities of the mid-20th century, but also doesn't make a lot of sense to young kids (or adults, for that matter.)
It's a bit of a history lesson into some of the vernacular and activities of the mid-20th century, but also doesn't make a lot of sense to young kids (or adults, for that matter.)
The character is so charming and the ideas are so fun, particularly the longing Stuart has for companionship from Margalo, his brother, and a tiny woman. It’s interesting that Stuart is presented as possibly being a human that looks like a mouse and not necessarily a talking mouse, though the other animals in the story speak. There is also an invisible car so I think that qualifies the story as a SF/ fantasy story. Its charm is also to its detriment since the impromptu nature of the stories serve to make the whole thing very disjointed and episodic.
It is probably best to read this to a child. I like Charlotte's web better.