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jennalibrarian 's review for:
The Mouse and His Child
by Russell Hoban
Hoban is a children's writer who is probably most famous for his easy-to-read 'Francis' books. That, coupled with the story-line: two broken toy mice connected at the hands, moving through life broken, in an epic tale of survival, causes this book to always be classified as a young children's novel. However, the novel is not just a coming of age story. It is a tale of how life always comes full circle. It has powerful metaphors, and themes of redemption and transformation. The father mouse moves through his journey always pulling or pushing the child mouse, his younger self, with him. The book is appropriate for middle school to high school readers. I would use it as part of a unit on identifying metaphor, or possibly on anthropomorphism. The book is good to teach kids about approaching transition. Life is cruel to the mouse and his child, and yet they persevere. The book is exquisitely written, and the illustrations are amazing.