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A review by danicamidlil
A Nest for Celeste: A Story about Art, Inspiration, and the Meaning of Home by Henry Cole
3.0
I took the time to read through several others' reviews of this book before writing one of my own. Many really liked the book and just as many really didn't, which is interesting all by itself. I also gained a topic from one review for a master's thesis if I ever need to write one: Mice in Children's Literature.
I'm a fan of mouse books as I've said in previous reviews. They can portray the tiny unknown observer of our lives so perfectly, complete with big ears and fuzzy little bodies. How endearing. Except endearing things have a built-in expiration date that changes as our culture changes. Recently, it has advanced. I'd guess that mouse stories currently expire around second grade and don't come alive for reader's again until college (if they are lucky like I was, to take a Children's Literature class at that time to reissue permission to visit the children's section of the library!) or parenthood. I would put down money on a bet that a fourth grade boy is not going to touch a book with a charming and cozy mouse on the cover, yet that is the age some reviewers have suggested this book for! No doubt this age recommendation is due to the slightly unexpected level of violence that blasts onto the scene in what appears to be a MOUSE book!
My question is: Who is this book for? It seems entirely too graphic for those who will pick it up, but also entirely too "cutesy" or "babyish" for those who would be prepared to read about "putrefying carcasses" and main characters getting shot in the Head! Who is the intended audience here?
I'm a fan of mouse books as I've said in previous reviews. They can portray the tiny unknown observer of our lives so perfectly, complete with big ears and fuzzy little bodies. How endearing. Except endearing things have a built-in expiration date that changes as our culture changes. Recently, it has advanced. I'd guess that mouse stories currently expire around second grade and don't come alive for reader's again until college (if they are lucky like I was, to take a Children's Literature class at that time to reissue permission to visit the children's section of the library!) or parenthood. I would put down money on a bet that a fourth grade boy is not going to touch a book with a charming and cozy mouse on the cover, yet that is the age some reviewers have suggested this book for! No doubt this age recommendation is due to the slightly unexpected level of violence that blasts onto the scene in what appears to be a MOUSE book!
My question is: Who is this book for? It seems entirely too graphic for those who will pick it up, but also entirely too "cutesy" or "babyish" for those who would be prepared to read about "putrefying carcasses" and main characters getting shot in the Head! Who is the intended audience here?