A Most Mysterious Mouse

An unnamed cat experiences a metaphysical crisis.The cat in question has mice on the brain—not just a few or even dozens, but 1 million. This is a feline whose mind can conjure up "ONE HUNDRED AND FORTY-FOUR mice zooming along on a triple-decker bus" as well as a single perfect mouse, "which he would see in great detail." The cat is so focused on a goal of 1 million mice imagined that he forgoes time with other cats. But one last mouse remains elusive, driving the very purposeful kitty to distraction. When that last mouse appears to visit in actual form (it's unclear if it really happens or is imagined), cat and mouse have a wonderful day together, leaving the cat more hopeful and social. As readers might expect, the many, many mice are rendered in loving detail, and it's all very adorable. But the cat's anxiety about the limits of his imagination seems scarily joyless, and it's only after either a supernatural or coincidental visit from a biological enemy or a complete break with reality that this cat is somehow cured. Adults: this one might require more explaining and shoulder shrugging over the plot than bedtime might accommodate. It's an odd book, but for anyone who has mice on the brain like this cat, there are more than enough cute ones in this book to satisfy.(Picture book. 4-8)

Copyright 2016 Kirkus Reviews, LLC Used with permission.

A cat believes that thinking about mice ("The one who gardened. / The one who lived in a pipe," etc.) is his duty--"If I don't think about them, who will?" This pleasantly strange story reads most like an adult-geared parable about letting go of inner demons, but young readers can appreciate the refined illustrations showing a multiplicity of anthropomorphized rodents.

Copyright 2017 Hornbook, LLC Used with permission.

Wiry, wide-eyed, and restless, a grey tabby cat has "a head full of mice," writes debut author (and noted Italian publisher) Zoboli. "They're relying on me, you know," he tells his feline friends, who find him both admirable and inscrutable, and urge him to come fishing or snail hunting. Even as the tabby can see every permutation of mice in his mind's eye (including 144 "zooming along on a triple-decker bus"), there's one that eludes his imagination--until that very mouse shows up at his front door. The two instantly become great friends (in one of a series of wordless vignettes, they even soak in a tub together--a very Continental mix of sweet and sensual). And when the mouse departs as mysteriously as he arrived, the cat's fever is broken. He's ready to be in the world: "He even went out with his friend who was crazy about flea markets, though all of those old things bored him to tears." Touching on themes of solitude, creativity, and obsession, it's a story that's alternately elusive and philosophical, thanks to Shugaar's mischievous translation and D'Andrea's sly, sleek, and sumptuous drawings. Ages 3-9. (Sept.)

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.--Sarah Wilsman, Bainbridge Library, Chagrin Falls, OH

"Touching on themes of solitude, creativity, and obsession, it's a story that's alternately elusive and philosophical, thanks to Shugaar's mischievous translation and D'Andrea's sly, sleek, and sumptuous drawings."—Publishers Weekly

"A delightfully zany and surreal exploration of the ways in which we humans obsess and isolate ourselves over real or imagined troubles—all told through the eyes of a perfectionistic, philosophical cat. An unexpected end makes this playful, mouse-filled romp a treasure to read."—Hannah DeCamp, Avid Bookshop, Athens Georgia

"I can't tell you how much I love this book. It's the only picture book I've read that really gets to the heart of the creative process, how strong an idea can be, how it can take over your entire imagination until, finally you find what you're looking for. It's playfully written by Giovanna Zoboli and translated from the Italian by Antony Shuggar. Lisa D'Andrea illustrated it with the sweetest colored pencil drawings, emphasizing form over splashy colors. There's lots of white space in the story — room for imagination and for a fantasy about mice — one hundred mice, one million mice! But especially one mysterious mouse that hides on the edge of a wide eyed tabby cat's imagination. A mouse he can't quite see as well as he'd like, but knows is there, if only he thinks, imagines, spends enough time alone, pondering mice. And he's not doing all this creative work for food — he wants it to understand it, appreciate its particular mouse-ness and bring it fully to life. What creative person can't identify with that? What child, left alone long enough, won't begin to imagine something wonderful, if only they have time to daydream? Whether it's an image, a story, a song — we have to sit with our ideas for as long as it takes until the right one comes along. The one only we can bring to life." — Joy Murray, joymurray.com