Hermelin the Detective Mouse - Hardcover

MINI GREY is the creator of the Boston Globe-Horn Book award-winning picture book Traction Man Is Here! as well as Traction Man Meets TurboDog and Traction Man and the Beach Odyssey. Collectively, the three Traction Man books have received 15 starred reviews. Her brilliant, quirky humor can also be seen in Toys in Space, Three by the Sea, The Adventures of the Dish and the Spoon, and Ginger Bear.

*Starred Review* This winning picture book opens with a scene of a tiny community of attached houses on Offley Street, where the residents and their pets are engaged in all sorts of activities simultaneously. Next, the narrator introduces himself. Hermelin, a charming white mouse, lives in an attic and enjoys typing messages on an upright typewriter. After reading on a notice board that his neighbors have lost a number of items, he quickly solves each case and also saves a baby from an untimely end. The residents gather to thank their unknown benefactor, but when the mouse appears, panic ensues. Downcast, Hermelin prepares to leave Offley Street, but a friendly neighbor offers him a better option. In both the precisely written text and the richly detailed mixed-media illustrations, this title offers a treasure trove of narratives, large and small. The colorful artwork is full of drama and inventive details, and while the double-page spreads are sometimes crowded, they are also dynamic, well structured, and satisfying. Some children will enjoy the challenge of solving the mini-mysteries using clues found in the illustrations, while others will be content to follow the adventures of the amiable mouse as his tale unfolds. An absorbing picture book with a small but worthy hero. Preschool-Grade 3. --Carolyn Phelan