Mabel and Me--Best of Friends (Read Aloud)

January 15, 2015
A small mouse with delusions of grandeur strolls down a vaguely Parisian street with his best friend, Mabel. He affirms to her that she is his "bestest, bestest friend," although he cannot think of a single reason why this should be. The mouse is a bit of a Debby Downer. Referred to only in the first person (he even labels his initial appearance "me"), he is so self-centered that he assumes every compliment received by the pair is addressed to him and, conversely, that every insult is directed to Mabel. Thinking that Monsieur Famous French Photographer is calling Mabel a "strange little creature thing," he refuses a picture. He then gets all huffy at the Senora Prima Ballerina when she improbably tries to recruit Mabel to ballet school (he thinks her rejection of "your friend['s] scrawny, hairy rodent legs" is directed at Mabel). Even when Mabel tells him that people really "think of me as a strange little creature thing with scrawny, hairy rodent legs," he refuses to believe it; she must be joking. And that's it. While the illustrations are attractively done in graceful pencil and watercolor wash, and there is plenty of eye-catching detail, there is too little story, and the book ultimately feels derivative of other classic Francophile picture books. A pretty package but lacking in substance and storyline. (Picture book. 3-6)

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December 1, 2014

K-Gr 2-A mouse narrates this story about its relationship with its human best friend, Mabel. While wandering through a vaguely European city and discussing their friendship, they encounter a famous French photographer and a famous Spanish ballerina. Each adult tries to befriend Mabel but is dismissive of the "strange little creature thing" with the "scrawny, hairy rodent legs." The confused mouse indignantly defends its supposedly maligned friend, Mabel. When at last the child explains that the mouse was the target of these comments, it laughs "'Oh, Mabel, you are my BESTEST, BESTEST friend because you always say the CRAZIEST things!'" The language is humorous and vibrant, the illustrations are charmingly quirky and full of movement, and the page design is dynamic, but the behavior of the characters is somewhat disturbing. The adults are rude, and the mouse is delusional. Mabel never stands up for her friend and is prepared to hurt the mouse's feelings by explaining the mix-up. As the story opens, the two find themselves unable to explain the reason behind their friendship. As the story closes, readers will still be wondering, too. A strange and unsatisfying tale.-Heidi Estrin, Congregation B'nai Israel, Boca Raton, FL

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