The Mouse And His Child

Russell Hoban

Editions

Review

A clockwork mouse and his child are bought from the toyshop where they lived in a beautiful dolls’ house.  But their odyssey begins when their new owner throws them out.  Saved from Manny Rat at the dump by a fortune-telling frog, they fight off a shrew army, briefly appear with the Caws of Art Repertory Company (crows), and then are adopted by the engineering Muskrat.  But his plans are flooded out and they spend a season under water with a philosopher turtle before finally coming to grips with Manny Rat – thanks to a kingfisher, a bittern, and their old friend Frog… And the mouse child’s dream of a home at last seems within grasp.

First published in 1969, this novel is an acknowledged classic of children’s literature.  At its heart is a gripping Quest, with plenty of Danger and a satisfying Salvation.  But what makes it exceptional is the language.  Hoban does not talk down to children and, as one might expect from one of the most linguistically inventive and astute novelists (NB Riddley Walker pbk £9pbk £6.99), the language is sophisticated.  An enterprising 9-year old might just about read it, but most readers would need to be older.  And, like all the best books for children, it is a treat for adults too. - review by Johnny de Falbe