Review by Booklist Review
A small field mouse is hard at work in her burrow when another mouse, Humphrey, drops off a load of supplies for her inventions. As the mouse paws through her new haul, she comes across a piece of scrap paper that will change her life forever: a fancy stamp on a discarded envelope features a lion. She's determined to find out if the animal is real and, if so, where it lives. Humphrey guides her to a post office; she is immediately inspired to learn everything that she can about her newly enlarged world. A stop at an air show motivates her to craft an airplane of her own, and after a few rough moments, the little mouse sets off on an adventure around the world, ultimately inspiring a young woman named Amelia to embark on an adventure of her own. The latest Mouse Adventures entry is an enormously entertaining text by itself, but the exquisite illustrations steal the show. Astonishingly lifelike depictions are packed with details and humor, and the creative combination of snapshots, full-page spreads, and various ephemera will rivet any young reader. Extensive end pages explore Earhart's legacy and other notable flights around the world. An enchanting adventure sure to inspire animal lovers and inventors to explore their own extraordinary worlds.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
In this Swiss import, translated from German, a field mouse with a gift for gadgetry anticipates Amelia Earhart's ill-fated final venture. The narrative is decidedly sketchy next to the ultra-realistic, lavishly detailed illustrations, but it tells an inspiring story. Electrified to discover through international postage stamps that the world is far larger than she had supposed, the never-named mouse intrepidly braves dangers and obstacles aplenty to construct an airplane and set out in search of African lions and further wonders beyond. In letters to an older mouse aviator and inventor who will be familiar to fans of Kuhlmann'sLindbergh, she reports on her experiences, including how she survived when her plane was destroyed in a storm over the Pacific and how she went on to meet a human aviator named Amelia with a similar desire to fly around the world. Montages and larger images depict the flight's highlights, along with engrossing views of meticulous mechanical drawings and working spaces strewn with tools and gear. Closing notes on Earhart as "Pilot and Champion of Women's Rights" and other early world-circlers are accompanied by period photographs. Budding makers with dreams of their own will take heart from the pink-eared engineer's declaration that "even for the tiniest of creatures, nothing is impossible!" The art and the exploit both soar. (map)(Illustrated fiction. 8-11) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
