The Mouse and his Child is such a wonderful fantasy! Russell Hoban has woven a tale around the child's wonder as to whether little windup, tin toys have private lives of their own when we humans are not around.

Beginning in a toy shop at Christmas we meet the principle players, tin windups who live a magical life between midnight and dawn. We follow them as they are bought, live in people's homes, are broken, thrown away and... magically they still live, albeit tattered and bent. For some reason, Father Mouse and his Child have broken through the midnight to dawn barrier and have attained the ability to think and talk and reason throughout the day and night! They meet and interact with many field animals, river animals, and birds; all of which help them to attain their dream of becoming self winding (they rely on the animals to keep them wound so they can move around) and find their original friends from the toy shop, Elephant and Seal.

We meet the evil Manny Rat who is the leader of rats in the dump and has a cadre of windup toys who forcibly work for him in his quest for dominance. Because Father Mouse and his Son are able to get away from Manny Rat, he has a vendetta of revenge and search for the two, in order to destroy them, becomes the vehicle which moves the story along.

Needless to say, it all has a happy ending, but getting to that ending, the adventures they all go through; the characters they meet, that is all heartwarming and thought provoking.

The story seems simple, but how Russell Hoban constructed it, describes the characters, how he shows the evolution of the tin windup toys- that is what makes the story magical. ( )

Considering that the story is about the misadventures of a clockwork father mouse and child, and their encounters with various talking birds/animals, this is actually quite a dark tale and not at all twee. Instead, violence, death and squalor are evident in abundance, with a wry black comedy setting, such as the alternative society developed by rats in the dump, and the avant garde travelling player company run by crows. Similarly, a dog food label provides the philosophical linking theme, as the Last Visible Dog becomes the symbol for eternity.

A book that works on a number of levels, and I would've rated it more highly, only for me, it loses momentum once the eponymous characters start to achieve their goal of being reunited with the clockwork elephant and seal from the toyshop where they all began, and acquiring the dollhouse from there. ( )

This book is unique and brilliant. This is my second time through and I am as awed as I was the first time. Lillian Hoban's illustrations are a wonderful accompaniment. Appropriate reading for adults and those that might want to read to them.. ( )

A fast paced, self -winding story that comes to life and brings a great lesson we should not forget, especially in these times of difficulty. ( )

This is another book in my desultory campaign to re-read books that I liked in childhood and see if they stand up to adult scrutiny.

THIS REVIEW HAS BEEN CURTAILED IN PROTEST AT GOODREADS' CENSORSHIP POLICY

See the complete review here:

http://arbieroo.booklikes.com/post/334868/post ( )