FICTION

A Most Mysterious Mouse

by Giovanna ZOBOLI
tr. from Italian by Antony Shugar. illus. by Lisa D'Andrea. 40p. Enchanted Lion. Sept. 2016. Tr $17.95. ISBN 9781592702138.
COPY ISBN
K-Gr 2—An odd but beautifully illustrated title, translated from Italian, about a cat who is obsessed with mice to the point that he won't even visit his friends. The tabby thinks about mice constantly ("If I don't think about them, who will? he'd ask himself."). The first part of the narrative is a counting story, but then the cat becomes fixated on a particular mouse who may be real or imaginary—it is never quite clear. Everything changes when the mysterious mouse pays the feline a visit and changes his life. Concrete or linear thinkers may be bothered by this almost existential entry, but D'Andrea's pencil drawings are wonderful from end page to end page.
VERDICT A gorgeous and very strange picture book debut that is sure to get readers talking and perhaps scratching their heads. An additional purchase.
Reviewed by Sarah Wilsman, Bainbridge Library, Chagrin Falls, OH , Oct 01, 2016

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