Babymouse: Queen of the World.
Babymouse connives to gets herself invited to a sleepover at the house of her arch nemesis, a popular cat named Felicia Furrypaws, but ultimately realizes she far prefers to hang out with her faithful friend, Wilson Weasel.
So far, there are nine un-put-down-able graphic novelettes in this hilarious series all about the daydreaming title heroine, Babymouse, a Walter Mitty-like everymouse with a little pink heart adorning every outfit. Written and illustrated by the talented team of Jennifer L. Holm, author of two Newbery Honor novels for older readers, Our Only May Amelia and Penny from Heaven, and her brother, Matthew, a graphic designer, each book taps into and channels familiar aspects of middle school angst. Drawn with heavy black lines and hand-drawn panels on white paper, with hot pink highlights, the comic book style illustrations are refreshingly original, as are Babymouse’s vivid reveries in response to the frustrations of her day, and her repartee with the cheeky, unseen, advice dispensing narrator. Readers will adopt Babymouse’s favorite retort for their own exasperations: “Typical!”
You can't really read these books aloud like a novel; they're small-sized books readers will pore over, either alone or snuggled up on the couch with you, so you can share the crackling dialogue and witty pictures and laugh together. Go to www.babymouse.com for games, printable pages, and write-your-own-story ideas. Are your kids demanding more graphic novels? Check out the website www.sidekicks.noflyingnotights.com for more suggestions.
OTHER BOOKS IN THIS SERIES:
Babymouse: Our Hero. Holm, Jennifer L., and Matthew Holm. Illus. by Matthew Holm. Random House, 2005. (95 pages, SUGGESTED AGES 7-10)
ISBN-13: 978-0375932304
After she oversleeps and misses the school bus, the plucky mouse confronts a homework-eating locker, the agony of fractions, and flare-ups with the catty Felicia Furrypaws. She must go up against Felicia in the one aspect of school that is Babymouse’s undoing—phys ed and a dreaded game of dodgeball.
Themes: ANIMALS. BALL GAMES. CARTOONS AND COMICS. FRIENDSHIP. GRAPHIC NOVELS. HEROES. HUMOROUS FICTION. IMAGINATION. MICE. POPULARITY. SCHOOLS.
- The Holms spruce up some well-trod ground with breathless pacing and clever flights of Babymouse's imagination, and their manic, pink-toned illustrations of Babymouse and her cohorts vigorously reflect the internal life of any million-ideas-a-minute middle-school student.
- Jesse Karp, Booklist
- Both tales share eye-grabbing black-and-pink graphics, and a perceptible Spiegelman influence simmers in the energetic ink illustrations of the dot-eyed heroine.
- Publishers Weekly
- The visual narrative is presented in a variety of frames and vignettes, with most of the text in speech balloons, as is standard in comic strips. There is a driving energy to the drawings, along with animation, dramatic adventures, and lots of fun.
- Ken Marantz and Sylvia Marantz, Children
- Young readers will happily fall in line to follow Babymouse through both ordinary pratfalls ("Typical!" is her watchword) and extraordinary flights of fancyboth of which continue in Babymouse, Our Hero.
- Kirkus Reviews