Where's Mommy?

Maria (human) and Mouse Mouse (not surprisingly, a mouse) both like pink. They're both confident middle children. They even live in the same house. And, one night, both can't find their mothers. Readers are treated to detail-rich scenes, above and below the floorboards, in which Maria's and Mouse Mouse's lives echo each other. This happy-families story, just suspenseful enough, ends in cozy, lamplit resolution.

Maria (human) and Mouse Mouse (not surprisingly, a mouse) have much in common. They both like pink, ballet, and mobiles. They are both confident middle children. They even live in the same (strikingly modern) house. It is deeply satisfying, therefore, that they also share a story. Both mothers disappear. At the end of the girls' tandem search we find out that the Maria-Mouse Mouse friendship is not the only link between their two families. In facing pages and split pages we are treated to scenes above and below the floorboards, scenes rich with detail in which Maria's and Mouse Mouse's lives echo each other. Maria's mother has a coffee cup, Mouse Mouse's mother has a tea thimble. Maria's bed frame is made of spindles, Mouse Mouse's of clothes pegs. Maria's older brother is just as dismissive as Mouse Mouse's older sister. The gradually dimming colors perfectly capture a long summer evening and the sobering mood as the mothers cannot be found. This happy-families story, just suspenseful enough, ends in cozy, lamplit resolution. sarah ellis