King Mouse

June 17, 2019
Newcomer Seiferling creates striking, silvery graphite spreads to illustrate this story by Fagan (What Are You Doing, Benny?), a fable about what happens when status turns heads. After a sleek mouse dons a tiny crown he finds in the grass, a bear asks if he is a king. “Yes,” the mouse says. “I am.” “Hail to the king,” the bear promptly replies. In the story’s richest sequence, the bear and other animals offer the mouse seeds, then entertain him with a performance (“They rehearsed over and over”). The mouse, for his part, accepts this treatment as his due. But when the other animals find more crowns, all dropped in the grass by a child, they announce that they’re royals, too, parading around in a circle of folly: “Long live me!” Only the bear finds no crown, and he wanders away, despondent. The mouse notices, offers the bear a kindly gift, and the two watch the sunset together, pale color entering the spreads as the sun sets and their friendship grows. Fagan develops with dry wit the story of the crowns and the way they skew the animals’ judgment, ending the tale on a wistful, affectionate note. Ages 3–7.

July 1, 2019
A mouse in the forest finds a crown and becomes king (for a bit) in this picture book. The story opens with a wordless double-page spread--a great way to start a picture book when it works, and this one does. In soft-edged graphite with subtle digital coloring, Seiferling's opening illustration shows a tricycle pulling a cart full of crowns, some of which are spilling out, instantly creating a magical ambiance. The page turn begins the text. A mouse wakes up hungry and, looking for food, finds a tiny crown. A bear ambles by and asks the mouse, "Are you a king?" The mouse thinks, then answers, "Yes, I am." A crow, a tortoise, and a fox find the new king food and amuse him with a play. Just when readers think the mouse may be getting a bit full of himself, a snake shows up, also wearing a crown. The animals declare her queen. Then more crowns are found, and in a very funny bit, most of the rest of the animals declare themselves kings or queens. But the bear, unable to find a crown, wanders away disconsolate. The mouse goes to find him, realizing now that there is something much more important than being king. In lovely illustrative symmetry, the story ends perfectly with a wordless illustration. Graceful and perceptive in both illustration and text, the timeless theme is particularly pertinent today. (Picture book. 3-8)

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September 1, 2019

PreS-Gr 1-In this whimsical tale, Fagan explores the ups and downs of pedestals. One day a mouse comes across an object in the grass. After sniffing and tasting and trying it on his tail, he discovers that it fits quite well on his head. Shortly thereafter, mouse encounters a bear who recognizes the object as a crown and asks the naive creature if he's a king. After a moment's thought, Mouse replies, "Yes, I am" and Bear bows down to him. Before long, King Mouse is hailed by not only the bear but also by a crow, a tortoise, and a fox who happen upon his highness. Mouse's newly minted subjects offer food and entertainment and Mouse soaks up the glory until more crowns are discovered and almost everyone becomes royalty. Young readers will identify with Mouse and his friends as their imaginative play accommodates a newcomer who is also a game changer. The quiet resolution is extremely satisfying and those who want to know where the crowns came from in the first place will appreciate the opening wordless spread. Seiferling's first outing as a picture book illustrator showcases her affinity for creating animal characters with human traits. Her graphite drawings, delicately colored digitally, exude an air of fantasy and perfectly complement this gentle, relatable story. At an inviting and comfortable eight inches square, the trim size is kid-friendly too. VERDICT Fans of Kevin Henkes and Laura Vaccaro Seeger will want to add this to their collections.-Lynn Van Auken, Oak Bluffs School, MA

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