Where's Mommy?

Starred review from January 6, 2014
Donofrio and McClintock offer a companion to 2007’s Mary and the Mouse, the Mouse and Mary that’s every bit as charming as its predecessor. In the human-scale rooms of her midcentury modern home, Maria spends time with her family; in the subfloor, Mouse Mouse lives with her own. Maria and Mouse Mouse keep their friendship hush-hush, for they fear the adults might acquire a cat. Nevertheless, their parallel lives are peaceful, their environments orderly and calm. One night, from her twin bed, Maria calls, “Oh, Mom?” while Mouse Mouse calls, “Oh, Mommy?” from her clothespin bed. Nobody answers. Neither fathers nor siblings seem worried, and an expectant mood prevails. McClintock pictures the cozy, twinned environments in low-lit panels, and her eggshell-white backgrounds and uncluttered pages allow a pleasurable comparison of human and nonhuman habitats (whereas Maria stands on a stool at the kitchen counter, Mouse Mouse’s chairs are jam jars and pill bottles around a plastic berry container). Fans of the original book will revel in the resolution (and the abundance of visual hints), yet the story is no less delightful for newcomers. Ages 3–7. Illustrator’s agent: Jennie Dunham, Dunham Literary.

March 1, 2014

K-Gr 2-Maria and a young mouse are secret friends living parallel lives in a sprawling home. Everything Maria does with her human family, Mouse Mouse does with her family, who live below the floorboards. But the child knows that if she tells her parents about Mouse Mouse, they will get a cat to get rid of the mice, and Mouse Mouse knows that if she lets her parents know that she's friends with Maria, they will flee to a hole in the ground. One night, both mothers disappear. After a search of the house, the girls are surprised to find their mothers chatting like old friends in the shed. The story is charming in its simplicity, but it's the detailed pen and ink and watercolor illustrations showcasing the little details of suburban living that set this book apart. From the pictures on the wall and the toys scattered in the yard to the games and books in the living room, these images have plenty to offer, and readers will enjoy the rewards of looking at the pictures again and again.-Jennifer Miskec, Longwood University, Farmville, VA

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 15, 2014
The parallel adventures of a little girl, Maria, and her friend, Mouse Mouse, who realize at the very same time that their mothers have not come in to kiss them goodnight and go off to find them. The idea of a small, usually unseen world next to ours always enchants, all the more so when a denizen of each world befriends the other. The pivotal point here: These two have kept their friendship secret. Maria is afraid her parents will get a cat; Mouse Mouse is sure her parents will move away from the humans. This is perhaps the only misstep, as readers will wonder why the friends make these assumptions (that and the fact that a baby mouse is not a "meese"), but why quibble? Simple text deftly delineates the similarities between each girl's mommy-hunt while gloriously detailed illustrations capturing the action appear side by side or in top-and-bottom panels. Tension builds--just enough so that tots' anxiety quickly turns to delicious anticipation as they begin to guess that maybe the mommies are going to be found...together! The moment of joint discovery is a delightful full-bleed, double-page spread of the two generations together. For those who have read Mary and the Mouse, the Mouse and Mary (2007), this is an especially satisfying culmination of the larger story. Irresistible. (Picture book. 3-6)

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March 1, 2014
Preschool-K This is an upstairs/downstairs story of friendship between Maria, a sweet little girl, and rodent Mouse Mouse. Their friendship is a secret, but their lives share many similarities as McClintock's busy, colorful illustrations demonstrate. Large two-page spreads are divided horizontally to show the warm surroundings and the stuff that makes a cozy human homeplants, lamps, pillows, pictures, booksmany of which are duplicated on the bottom half in equally cozy mouse digs. Maria reads on the living room floor, Mouse Mouse reads curled up in a can. They even have matching slippers at the sides of their beds (Maria's is a spool bed, Mouse Mouse's is made of clothes pins). It is these details, rendered in pen and ink, watercolor and gouache, that will engage young readers as they pore over both worlds, comparing furniture, mobiles, and nighttime rituals. When their mothers go missing, both are frantic until the mystery is solved with a BIG and very satisfying surprise.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)