Here it is a dog walk. A little girl takes an old dog, who doesn’t belong to her, for a walk around the block.
The dog, Mouse, is slow and fat 'with ears as thin as pancakes'. Together, the girl and Mouse walk to the park to eat lunch. On the way back, the wind picks up and the pair stop to eat some meatballs.
The dog, Mouse, is slow and fat 'with ears as thin as pancakes'. Together, the girl and Mouse walk to the park to eat lunch. On the way back, the wind picks up and the pair stop to eat some meatballs.
Nothing terribly exciting happens. And, yet, every page tells a tale of friendship, humour, patience and poignancy through gentle text and childlike illustrations.
Swedish author/illustrator Eva Lindstrom uses a soft, earthy palette to fill every page with colour, bringing us to the level of the girl and Mouse. Everything else happens in the periphery.
Her prose is filled with little details that slowly reveal the strong bond between the pair. And then comes the blow, as the walk ends and Mouse is returned to his owner. “I wish Mouse was mine,” the little girl says, with one final, tender tug at the readers’ heartstrings.
The longing glance of Mouse out the window and the title of the book tell a different story.
The longing glance of Mouse out the window and the title of the book tell a different story.
Title: My Dog Mouse
Author/Illustrator: Eva Lindstrom
Publisher: Gecko Press, $26.99
Publication Date: 1 August 2017
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9781776571482
For ages: 3-8
Type: Picture Book
Author/Illustrator: Eva Lindstrom
Publisher: Gecko Press, $26.99
Publication Date: 1 August 2017
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9781776571482
For ages: 3-8
Type: Picture Book