FICTION

A Most Mysterious Mouse

tr. from Italian by Antony Shugar. illus. by Lisa D'Andrea. 40p. Enchanted Lion. Sept. 2016. Tr $17.95. ISBN 9781592702138.
COPY ISBN
K-Gr 2—An odd but beautifully illustrated title, translated from Italian, about a cat who is obsessed with mice to the point that he won't even visit his friends. The tabby thinks about mice constantly ("If I don't think about them, who will? he'd ask himself."). The first part of the narrative is a counting story, but then the cat becomes fixated on a particular mouse who may be real or imaginary—it is never quite clear. Everything changes when the mysterious mouse pays the feline a visit and changes his life. Concrete or linear thinkers may be bothered by this almost existential entry, but D'Andrea's pencil drawings are wonderful from end page to end page.
VERDICT A gorgeous and very strange picture book debut that is sure to get readers talking and perhaps scratching their heads. An additional purchase.

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