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  <title><![CDATA[The Mouse And His Child]]></title>
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  <description><![CDATA[Like so many exceptional children's books, Russell Hoban's <em>The Mouse  and His Child</em> clearly wasn't intended only for kid consumption. It certainly  qualifies as a fantastic story for children: the characters are entertaining and  memorable, the images powerful, the pacing tight, and the message unique and  lasting. But this sweet, melancholy fable about a wind-up pair of tin mice--a  dancing father and son joined at the hands--explores so many different themes of  hope, perseverance, transformation, and the nature of existence (while still  managing to be quite funny at times) that it's the sort of book that demands to  be kept around for a lifetime of rereading.<p>  The father and son's redemptive quest to become &quot;self-winding&quot; takes them  through all sorts of trials, from the toy store to the dump to the swamp and  back again, and all along the way the pair runs afoul of Hoban's well-realized  and often menacing menagerie of characters, including the slave-driver Manny  Rat, the distracted thinker Muskrat, and Crow and Mrs. Crow and their Caws of  Art Experimental Theatre Group. (These last provide some of the best scenes in  the book, getting a surprising amount of philosophical meat out of a play called  <em>The Last Visible Dog</em>: &quot;What <em>doesn't</em> it mean! There's no end to  it--it just goes on and on until it means anything and everything, depending on  who you are and what your last visible dog is.&quot;)<p>  If you're only familiar with Russell Hoban from his Frances books (<em>Bread and  Jam for Frances</em>), this gripping, sometimes disturbing, occasionally even  violent novel might come as something of a surprise. But if you've read any of  Hoban's later work, like <em>Pilgermann</em> or <em>The Moment Under the Moment</em>,  then you know what this sophisticated and extraordinarily graceful writer is  capable of, and why <em>The Mouse and His Child</em> deserves praise as one of the  more profound children's works ever written. (Ages 9 to adult) <em>--Paul Hughes</em></p></p>]]></description>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[The Mouse And His Child]]>
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    <![CDATA[Like so many exceptional children's books, Russell Hoban's <em>The Mouse  and His Child</em> clearly wasn't intended only for kid consumption. It certainly  qualifies as a fantastic story for children: the characters are entertaining and  memorable, the images powerful, the pacing tight, and the message unique and  lasting. But this sweet, melancholy fable about a wind-up pair of tin mice--a  dancing father and son joined at the hands--explores so many different themes of  hope, perseverance, transformation, and the nature of existence (while still  managing to be quite funny at times) that it's the sort of book that demands to  be kept around for a lifetime of rereading.<p>  The father and son's redemptive quest to become &quot;self-winding&quot; takes them  through all sorts of trials, from the toy store to the dump to the swamp and  back again, and all along the way the pair runs afoul of Hoban's well-realized  and often menacing menagerie of characters, including the slave-driver Manny  Rat, the distracted thinker Muskrat, and Crow and Mrs. Crow and their Caws of  Art Experimental Theatre Group. (These last provide some of the best scenes in  the book, getting a surprising amount of philosophical meat out of a play called  <em>The Last Visible Dog</em>: &quot;What <em>doesn't</em> it mean! There's no end to  it--it just goes on and on until it means anything and everything, depending on  who you are and what your last visible dog is.&quot;)<p>  If you're only familiar with Russell Hoban from his Frances books (<em>Bread and  Jam for Frances</em>), this gripping, sometimes disturbing, occasionally even  violent novel might come as something of a surprise. But if you've read any of  Hoban's later work, like <em>Pilgermann</em> or <em>The Moment Under the Moment</em>,  then you know what this sophisticated and extraordinarily graceful writer is  capable of, and why <em>The Mouse and His Child</em> deserves praise as one of the  more profound children's works ever written. (Ages 9 to adult) <em>--Paul Hughes</em></p></p>]]>
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  <read_at>Wed Feb 13 00:00:00 -0800 2008</read_at>
  <date_added>Sun Feb 10 22:30:19 -0800 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Thu Feb 14 16:38:41 -0800 2008</date_updated>
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    <body><![CDATA[Simply stunning -- the story of a wind-up mouse &amp; his son and their adventures in the cold mean world beyond the nursery. This is no Velveteen Rabbit, however. After being thrown out in the trash and fixed by a transient, the clockwork toys find themselves enslaved to a greedy rat who rules the dump...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/15116759">more...</a>]]></body>
    
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    <![CDATA[Like so many exceptional children's books, Russell Hoban's <em>The Mouse  and His Child</em> clearly wasn't intended only for kid consumption. It certainly  qualifies as a fantastic story for children: the characters are entertaining and  memorable, the images powerful, the pacing tight, and the message unique and  lasting. But this sweet, melancholy fable about a wind-up pair of tin mice--a  dancing father and son joined at the hands--explores so many different themes of  hope, perseverance, transformation, and the nature of existence (while still  managing to be quite funny at times) that it's the sort of book that demands to  be kept around for a lifetime of rereading.<p>  The father and son's redemptive quest to become &quot;self-winding&quot; takes them  through all sorts of trials, from the toy store to the dump to the swamp and  back again, and all along the way the pair runs afoul of Hoban's well-realized  and often menacing menagerie of characters, including the slave-driver Manny  Rat, the distracted thinker Muskrat, and Crow and Mrs. Crow and their Caws of  Art Experimental Theatre Group. (These last provide some of the best scenes in  the book, getting a surprising amount of philosophical meat out of a play called  <em>The Last Visible Dog</em>: &quot;What <em>doesn't</em> it mean! There's no end to  it--it just goes on and on until it means anything and everything, depending on  who you are and what your last visible dog is.&quot;)<p>  If you're only familiar with Russell Hoban from his Frances books (<em>Bread and  Jam for Frances</em>), this gripping, sometimes disturbing, occasionally even  violent novel might come as something of a surprise. But if you've read any of  Hoban's later work, like <em>Pilgermann</em> or <em>The Moment Under the Moment</em>,  then you know what this sophisticated and extraordinarily graceful writer is  capable of, and why <em>The Mouse and His Child</em> deserves praise as one of the  more profound children's works ever written. (Ages 9 to adult) <em>--Paul Hughes</em></p></p>]]>
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  <read_at>Sat Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2005</read_at>
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  <date_updated>Fri Oct 05 13:34:15 -0700 2007</date_updated>
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    <body><![CDATA[This book is a wonderful and at times heartbreaking story. I got it because I remembered seeing an animated movie of this when I was little. This book has much, much more than the film, and is just beautifully written. I think it'd be great for all ages, even though it's usually marketed for younger...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7314941">more...</a>]]></body>
    
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      <review>
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    <name><![CDATA[Debbie]]></name>
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    <![CDATA[The Mouse And His Child]]>
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    <![CDATA[Like so many exceptional children's books, Russell Hoban's <em>The Mouse  and His Child</em> clearly wasn't intended only for kid consumption. It certainly  qualifies as a fantastic story for children: the characters are entertaining and  memorable, the images powerful, the pacing tight, and the message unique and  lasting. But this sweet, melancholy fable about a wind-up pair of tin mice--a  dancing father and son joined at the hands--explores so many different themes of  hope, perseverance, transformation, and the nature of existence (while still  managing to be quite funny at times) that it's the sort of book that demands to  be kept around for a lifetime of rereading.<p>  The father and son's redemptive quest to become &quot;self-winding&quot; takes them  through all sorts of trials, from the toy store to the dump to the swamp and  back again, and all along the way the pair runs afoul of Hoban's well-realized  and often menacing menagerie of characters, including the slave-driver Manny  Rat, the distracted thinker Muskrat, and Crow and Mrs. Crow and their Caws of  Art Experimental Theatre Group. (These last provide some of the best scenes in  the book, getting a surprising amount of philosophical meat out of a play called  <em>The Last Visible Dog</em>: &quot;What <em>doesn't</em> it mean! There's no end to  it--it just goes on and on until it means anything and everything, depending on  who you are and what your last visible dog is.&quot;)<p>  If you're only familiar with Russell Hoban from his Frances books (<em>Bread and  Jam for Frances</em>), this gripping, sometimes disturbing, occasionally even  violent novel might come as something of a surprise. But if you've read any of  Hoban's later work, like <em>Pilgermann</em> or <em>The Moment Under the Moment</em>,  then you know what this sophisticated and extraordinarily graceful writer is  capable of, and why <em>The Mouse and His Child</em> deserves praise as one of the  more profound children's works ever written. (Ages 9 to adult) <em>--Paul Hughes</em></p></p>]]>
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    <rating>5</rating>
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  <read_at>Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2004</read_at>
  <date_added>Sat Jul 25 20:00:09 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Sat Jul 25 20:00:20 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[Don't be misled by this book's cover, with its gentle picture of a windup toy mouse<br/>hand in hand with his small son. The Mouse and His Child is and isn't a children's book but it is not recommended for the <br/>soft hearted of any age. <br/><br/>	The title characters, a mouse and his child, ...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/64958909">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/64958909]]></url>
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      <review>
  <id>60104946</id>
    <user>
    <id>1249250</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Lisa]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Monroe, MI]]></location>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[The Mouse And His Child]]>
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  <average_rating>4.10</average_rating>
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    <![CDATA[Like so many exceptional children's books, Russell Hoban's <em>The Mouse  and His Child</em> clearly wasn't intended only for kid consumption. It certainly  qualifies as a fantastic story for children: the characters are entertaining and  memorable, the images powerful, the pacing tight, and the message unique and  lasting. But this sweet, melancholy fable about a wind-up pair of tin mice--a  dancing father and son joined at the hands--explores so many different themes of  hope, perseverance, transformation, and the nature of existence (while still  managing to be quite funny at times) that it's the sort of book that demands to  be kept around for a lifetime of rereading.<p>  The father and son's redemptive quest to become &quot;self-winding&quot; takes them  through all sorts of trials, from the toy store to the dump to the swamp and  back again, and all along the way the pair runs afoul of Hoban's well-realized  and often menacing menagerie of characters, including the slave-driver Manny  Rat, the distracted thinker Muskrat, and Crow and Mrs. Crow and their Caws of  Art Experimental Theatre Group. (These last provide some of the best scenes in  the book, getting a surprising amount of philosophical meat out of a play called  <em>The Last Visible Dog</em>: &quot;What <em>doesn't</em> it mean! There's no end to  it--it just goes on and on until it means anything and everything, depending on  who you are and what your last visible dog is.&quot;)<p>  If you're only familiar with Russell Hoban from his Frances books (<em>Bread and  Jam for Frances</em>), this gripping, sometimes disturbing, occasionally even  violent novel might come as something of a surprise. But if you've read any of  Hoban's later work, like <em>Pilgermann</em> or <em>The Moment Under the Moment</em>,  then you know what this sophisticated and extraordinarily graceful writer is  capable of, and why <em>The Mouse and His Child</em> deserves praise as one of the  more profound children's works ever written. (Ages 9 to adult) <em>--Paul Hughes</em></p></p>]]>
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    <rating>3</rating>
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  <read_at>Tue Jun 16 00:00:00 -0700 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Wed Jun 17 18:25:27 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Wed Jun 17 18:35:04 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[At the risk of dating myself, all I remember about this story was that a movie was made for it in the late 70s and I desperately wanted to see it.  The marketing for the movie must have been excellent because the day my father took my sister me to see it, all the shows were sold out.  Not one to dis...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/60104946">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/60104946]]></url>
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</review>
      <review>
  <id>74730589</id>
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    <id>395450</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Parry]]></name>
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    <![CDATA[The Mouse And His Child]]>
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    <![CDATA[Like so many exceptional children's books, Russell Hoban's <em>The Mouse  and His Child</em> clearly wasn't intended only for kid consumption. It certainly  qualifies as a fantastic story for children: the characters are entertaining and  memorable, the images powerful, the pacing tight, and the message unique and  lasting. But this sweet, melancholy fable about a wind-up pair of tin mice--a  dancing father and son joined at the hands--explores so many different themes of  hope, perseverance, transformation, and the nature of existence (while still  managing to be quite funny at times) that it's the sort of book that demands to  be kept around for a lifetime of rereading.<p>  The father and son's redemptive quest to become &quot;self-winding&quot; takes them  through all sorts of trials, from the toy store to the dump to the swamp and  back again, and all along the way the pair runs afoul of Hoban's well-realized  and often menacing menagerie of characters, including the slave-driver Manny  Rat, the distracted thinker Muskrat, and Crow and Mrs. Crow and their Caws of  Art Experimental Theatre Group. (These last provide some of the best scenes in  the book, getting a surprising amount of philosophical meat out of a play called  <em>The Last Visible Dog</em>: &quot;What <em>doesn't</em> it mean! There's no end to  it--it just goes on and on until it means anything and everything, depending on  who you are and what your last visible dog is.&quot;)<p>  If you're only familiar with Russell Hoban from his Frances books (<em>Bread and  Jam for Frances</em>), this gripping, sometimes disturbing, occasionally even  violent novel might come as something of a surprise. But if you've read any of  Hoban's later work, like <em>Pilgermann</em> or <em>The Moment Under the Moment</em>,  then you know what this sophisticated and extraordinarily graceful writer is  capable of, and why <em>The Mouse and His Child</em> deserves praise as one of the  more profound children's works ever written. (Ages 9 to adult) <em>--Paul Hughes</em></p></p>]]>
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  <read_at>Wed Oct 21 00:00:00 -0700 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Fri Oct 16 09:37:01 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Wed Oct 28 09:27:51 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[There were times when I really loved this book - the incredibly poignant images that really made me stop and catch my breath. These moments, when accompanied by David Small's illustrations, were especially moving.  <br/><br/>But, I sometimes found the language getting in the way of the story. Ther...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/74730589">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/74730589]]></url>
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    <name><![CDATA[Jenna]]></name>
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    <![CDATA[Like so many exceptional children's books, Russell Hoban's <em>The Mouse  and His Child</em> clearly wasn't intended only for kid consumption. It certainly  qualifies as a fantastic story for children: the characters are entertaining and  memorable, the images powerful, the pacing tight, and the message unique and  lasting. But this sweet, melancholy fable about a wind-up pair of tin mice--a  dancing father and son joined at the hands--explores so many different themes of  hope, perseverance, transformation, and the nature of existence (while still  managing to be quite funny at times) that it's the sort of book that demands to  be kept around for a lifetime of rereading.<p>  The father and son's redemptive quest to become &quot;self-winding&quot; takes them  through all sorts of trials, from the toy store to the dump to the swamp and  back again, and all along the way the pair runs afoul of Hoban's well-realized  and often menacing menagerie of characters, including the slave-driver Manny  Rat, the distracted thinker Muskrat, and Crow and Mrs. Crow and their Caws of  Art Experimental Theatre Group. (These last provide some of the best scenes in  the book, getting a surprising amount of philosophical meat out of a play called  <em>The Last Visible Dog</em>: &quot;What <em>doesn't</em> it mean! There's no end to  it--it just goes on and on until it means anything and everything, depending on  who you are and what your last visible dog is.&quot;)<p>  If you're only familiar with Russell Hoban from his Frances books (<em>Bread and  Jam for Frances</em>), this gripping, sometimes disturbing, occasionally even  violent novel might come as something of a surprise. But if you've read any of  Hoban's later work, like <em>Pilgermann</em> or <em>The Moment Under the Moment</em>,  then you know what this sophisticated and extraordinarily graceful writer is  capable of, and why <em>The Mouse and His Child</em> deserves praise as one of the  more profound children's works ever written. (Ages 9 to adult) <em>--Paul Hughes</em></p></p>]]>
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  <read_at>Mon Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2007</read_at>
  <date_added>Mon Aug 04 20:18:04 -0700 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Mon Aug 04 20:18:04 -0700 2008</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[Hoban is a children's writer who is probably most famous for his easy-to-read 'Francis' books. That, coupled with the story-line: two broken toy mice connected at the hands, moving through life broken, in an epic tale of survival, causes this book to always be classified as a young children's novel....<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/29274643">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/29274643]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/29274643]]></link>
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      <review>
  <id>68015988</id>
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    <id>1446640</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Lisa]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Provo, UT]]></location>
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  <text_reviews_count type="integer">37</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[The Mouse And His Child]]>
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  <average_rating>4.10</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>189</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[Like so many exceptional children's books, Russell Hoban's <em>The Mouse  and His Child</em> clearly wasn't intended only for kid consumption. It certainly  qualifies as a fantastic story for children: the characters are entertaining and  memorable, the images powerful, the pacing tight, and the message unique and  lasting. But this sweet, melancholy fable about a wind-up pair of tin mice--a  dancing father and son joined at the hands--explores so many different themes of  hope, perseverance, transformation, and the nature of existence (while still  managing to be quite funny at times) that it's the sort of book that demands to  be kept around for a lifetime of rereading.<p>  The father and son's redemptive quest to become &quot;self-winding&quot; takes them  through all sorts of trials, from the toy store to the dump to the swamp and  back again, and all along the way the pair runs afoul of Hoban's well-realized  and often menacing menagerie of characters, including the slave-driver Manny  Rat, the distracted thinker Muskrat, and Crow and Mrs. Crow and their Caws of  Art Experimental Theatre Group. (These last provide some of the best scenes in  the book, getting a surprising amount of philosophical meat out of a play called  <em>The Last Visible Dog</em>: &quot;What <em>doesn't</em> it mean! There's no end to  it--it just goes on and on until it means anything and everything, depending on  who you are and what your last visible dog is.&quot;)<p>  If you're only familiar with Russell Hoban from his Frances books (<em>Bread and  Jam for Frances</em>), this gripping, sometimes disturbing, occasionally even  violent novel might come as something of a surprise. But if you've read any of  Hoban's later work, like <em>Pilgermann</em> or <em>The Moment Under the Moment</em>,  then you know what this sophisticated and extraordinarily graceful writer is  capable of, and why <em>The Mouse and His Child</em> deserves praise as one of the  more profound children's works ever written. (Ages 9 to adult) <em>--Paul Hughes</em></p></p>]]>
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  <recommended_for><![CDATA[Alice Osborne]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Tue Aug 25 00:00:00 -0700 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Wed Aug 19 06:56:10 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Sun Aug 30 21:46:06 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[I had heard good things about this classic so was very eager to read it myself.<br/><br/>I thoroughly enjoyed the story of the mouse and his son and their journey through the story. They were well written characters with consistant goals and traits.<br/><br/>I did get bogged down in some of the ...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/68015988">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/68015988]]></url>
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      <review>
  <id>48945842</id>
    <user>
    <id>973351</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Bonnie]]></name>
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    <![CDATA[The Mouse And His Child]]>
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  <average_rating>4.10</average_rating>
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    <![CDATA[Like so many exceptional children's books, Russell Hoban's <em>The Mouse  and His Child</em> clearly wasn't intended only for kid consumption. It certainly  qualifies as a fantastic story for children: the characters are entertaining and  memorable, the images powerful, the pacing tight, and the message unique and  lasting. But this sweet, melancholy fable about a wind-up pair of tin mice--a  dancing father and son joined at the hands--explores so many different themes of  hope, perseverance, transformation, and the nature of existence (while still  managing to be quite funny at times) that it's the sort of book that demands to  be kept around for a lifetime of rereading.<p>  The father and son's redemptive quest to become &quot;self-winding&quot; takes them  through all sorts of trials, from the toy store to the dump to the swamp and  back again, and all along the way the pair runs afoul of Hoban's well-realized  and often menacing menagerie of characters, including the slave-driver Manny  Rat, the distracted thinker Muskrat, and Crow and Mrs. Crow and their Caws of  Art Experimental Theatre Group. (These last provide some of the best scenes in  the book, getting a surprising amount of philosophical meat out of a play called  <em>The Last Visible Dog</em>: &quot;What <em>doesn't</em> it mean! There's no end to  it--it just goes on and on until it means anything and everything, depending on  who you are and what your last visible dog is.&quot;)<p>  If you're only familiar with Russell Hoban from his Frances books (<em>Bread and  Jam for Frances</em>), this gripping, sometimes disturbing, occasionally even  violent novel might come as something of a surprise. But if you've read any of  Hoban's later work, like <em>Pilgermann</em> or <em>The Moment Under the Moment</em>,  then you know what this sophisticated and extraordinarily graceful writer is  capable of, and why <em>The Mouse and His Child</em> deserves praise as one of the  more profound children's works ever written. (Ages 9 to adult) <em>--Paul Hughes</em></p></p>]]>
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  <read_at>Sun Jul 26 00:00:00 -0700 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Wed Mar 11 12:53:44 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Tue Jul 28 09:25:09 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count>1</read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[I read this because I remember seeing the movie as a child and being <em>deeply</em> disturbed by it.  And yet, I think my sister and I watched it again and again.  Parts of the story really stuck with me, so that once I got to them in the book, they were crystal clear in my memory.  While this is a sweet an...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/48945842">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/48945842]]></url>
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</review>
      <review>
  <id>44160333</id>
    <user>
    <id>1896996</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Debra]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Douglas, OK]]></location>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[The Mouse And His Child]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1167544593m/24909.jpg</image_url>
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  <average_rating>4.10</average_rating>
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    <![CDATA[Like so many exceptional children's books, Russell Hoban's <em>The Mouse  and His Child</em> clearly wasn't intended only for kid consumption. It certainly  qualifies as a fantastic story for children: the characters are entertaining and  memorable, the images powerful, the pacing tight, and the message unique and  lasting. But this sweet, melancholy fable about a wind-up pair of tin mice--a  dancing father and son joined at the hands--explores so many different themes of  hope, perseverance, transformation, and the nature of existence (while still  managing to be quite funny at times) that it's the sort of book that demands to  be kept around for a lifetime of rereading.<p>  The father and son's redemptive quest to become &quot;self-winding&quot; takes them  through all sorts of trials, from the toy store to the dump to the swamp and  back again, and all along the way the pair runs afoul of Hoban's well-realized  and often menacing menagerie of characters, including the slave-driver Manny  Rat, the distracted thinker Muskrat, and Crow and Mrs. Crow and their Caws of  Art Experimental Theatre Group. (These last provide some of the best scenes in  the book, getting a surprising amount of philosophical meat out of a play called  <em>The Last Visible Dog</em>: &quot;What <em>doesn't</em> it mean! There's no end to  it--it just goes on and on until it means anything and everything, depending on  who you are and what your last visible dog is.&quot;)<p>  If you're only familiar with Russell Hoban from his Frances books (<em>Bread and  Jam for Frances</em>), this gripping, sometimes disturbing, occasionally even  violent novel might come as something of a surprise. But if you've read any of  Hoban's later work, like <em>Pilgermann</em> or <em>The Moment Under the Moment</em>,  then you know what this sophisticated and extraordinarily graceful writer is  capable of, and why <em>The Mouse and His Child</em> deserves praise as one of the  more profound children's works ever written. (Ages 9 to adult) <em>--Paul Hughes</em></p></p>]]>
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  <date_added>Sat Jan 24 07:21:29 -0800 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Sat Jan 24 07:23:01 -0800 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[This delightful little book is tagged as a children's book, but like many of the best children's books, it is full of good things for adults as well. I recommend it anyone who needs to reconnect with the pure, clean truths of human love and life.]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/44160333]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/44160333]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>65806270</id>
    <user>
    <id>1037</id>
    <name><![CDATA[krin]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[The United States]]></location>
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  <text_reviews_count type="integer">37</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[The Mouse And His Child]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1167544593m/24909.jpg</image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24909.The_Mouse_And_His_Child</link>
  <average_rating>4.10</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>189</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[Like so many exceptional children's books, Russell Hoban's <em>The Mouse  and His Child</em> clearly wasn't intended only for kid consumption. It certainly  qualifies as a fantastic story for children: the characters are entertaining and  memorable, the images powerful, the pacing tight, and the message unique and  lasting. But this sweet, melancholy fable about a wind-up pair of tin mice--a  dancing father and son joined at the hands--explores so many different themes of  hope, perseverance, transformation, and the nature of existence (while still  managing to be quite funny at times) that it's the sort of book that demands to  be kept around for a lifetime of rereading.<p>  The father and son's redemptive quest to become &quot;self-winding&quot; takes them  through all sorts of trials, from the toy store to the dump to the swamp and  back again, and all along the way the pair runs afoul of Hoban's well-realized  and often menacing menagerie of characters, including the slave-driver Manny  Rat, the distracted thinker Muskrat, and Crow and Mrs. Crow and their Caws of  Art Experimental Theatre Group. (These last provide some of the best scenes in  the book, getting a surprising amount of philosophical meat out of a play called  <em>The Last Visible Dog</em>: &quot;What <em>doesn't</em> it mean! There's no end to  it--it just goes on and on until it means anything and everything, depending on  who you are and what your last visible dog is.&quot;)<p>  If you're only familiar with Russell Hoban from his Frances books (<em>Bread and  Jam for Frances</em>), this gripping, sometimes disturbing, occasionally even  violent novel might come as something of a surprise. But if you've read any of  Hoban's later work, like <em>Pilgermann</em> or <em>The Moment Under the Moment</em>,  then you know what this sophisticated and extraordinarily graceful writer is  capable of, and why <em>The Mouse and His Child</em> deserves praise as one of the  more profound children's works ever written. (Ages 9 to adult) <em>--Paul Hughes</em></p></p>]]>
  </description>
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    <rating>4</rating>
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  <read_at>Tue Jun 16 00:00:00 -0700 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Sat Aug 01 17:03:05 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Sat Aug 01 17:03:41 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[Although it's been many years since I had read this book, I still found it as poignant, funny and moving as I did when I was a child. I enjoyed the interactions between the tin mouse and his son in their quest to find a home and a family.]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/65806270]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/65806270]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>44552475</id>
    <user>
    <id>1283234</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Gary]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Santa Fe, NM]]></location>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[The Mouse And His Child]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1167544593m/24909.jpg</image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24909.The_Mouse_And_His_Child</link>
  <average_rating>4.10</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>189</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[Like so many exceptional children's books, Russell Hoban's <em>The Mouse  and His Child</em> clearly wasn't intended only for kid consumption. It certainly  qualifies as a fantastic story for children: the characters are entertaining and  memorable, the images powerful, the pacing tight, and the message unique and  lasting. But this sweet, melancholy fable about a wind-up pair of tin mice--a  dancing father and son joined at the hands--explores so many different themes of  hope, perseverance, transformation, and the nature of existence (while still  managing to be quite funny at times) that it's the sort of book that demands to  be kept around for a lifetime of rereading.<p>  The father and son's redemptive quest to become &quot;self-winding&quot; takes them  through all sorts of trials, from the toy store to the dump to the swamp and  back again, and all along the way the pair runs afoul of Hoban's well-realized  and often menacing menagerie of characters, including the slave-driver Manny  Rat, the distracted thinker Muskrat, and Crow and Mrs. Crow and their Caws of  Art Experimental Theatre Group. (These last provide some of the best scenes in  the book, getting a surprising amount of philosophical meat out of a play called  <em>The Last Visible Dog</em>: &quot;What <em>doesn't</em> it mean! There's no end to  it--it just goes on and on until it means anything and everything, depending on  who you are and what your last visible dog is.&quot;)<p>  If you're only familiar with Russell Hoban from his Frances books (<em>Bread and  Jam for Frances</em>), this gripping, sometimes disturbing, occasionally even  violent novel might come as something of a surprise. But if you've read any of  Hoban's later work, like <em>Pilgermann</em> or <em>The Moment Under the Moment</em>,  then you know what this sophisticated and extraordinarily graceful writer is  capable of, and why <em>The Mouse and His Child</em> deserves praise as one of the  more profound children's works ever written. (Ages 9 to adult) <em>--Paul Hughes</em></p></p>]]>
  </description>
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    <rating>4</rating>
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  <read_at>Sun Mar 01 00:00:00 -0800 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Tue Jan 27 14:26:43 -0800 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Sun Mar 01 17:48:05 -0800 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[Something like The Wind in the Willows on steroids. A emotionally apocalyptic tale that is at once laudatory of grey design while cautionary of rapid industrialization. Like Hoban's Frances books, it's hard to categorize this work. What I can do is commend the fine writing, the crafty plot, inventiv...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/44552475">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/44552475]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/44552475]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>48960581</id>
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    <id>979855</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Tree]]></name>
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    <![CDATA[The Mouse And His Child]]>
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  <average_rating>4.10</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>189</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[Like so many exceptional children's books, Russell Hoban's <em>The Mouse  and His Child</em> clearly wasn't intended only for kid consumption. It certainly  qualifies as a fantastic story for children: the characters are entertaining and  memorable, the images powerful, the pacing tight, and the message unique and  lasting. But this sweet, melancholy fable about a wind-up pair of tin mice--a  dancing father and son joined at the hands--explores so many different themes of  hope, perseverance, transformation, and the nature of existence (while still  managing to be quite funny at times) that it's the sort of book that demands to  be kept around for a lifetime of rereading.<p>  The father and son's redemptive quest to become &quot;self-winding&quot; takes them  through all sorts of trials, from the toy store to the dump to the swamp and  back again, and all along the way the pair runs afoul of Hoban's well-realized  and often menacing menagerie of characters, including the slave-driver Manny  Rat, the distracted thinker Muskrat, and Crow and Mrs. Crow and their Caws of  Art Experimental Theatre Group. (These last provide some of the best scenes in  the book, getting a surprising amount of philosophical meat out of a play called  <em>The Last Visible Dog</em>: &quot;What <em>doesn't</em> it mean! There's no end to  it--it just goes on and on until it means anything and everything, depending on  who you are and what your last visible dog is.&quot;)<p>  If you're only familiar with Russell Hoban from his Frances books (<em>Bread and  Jam for Frances</em>), this gripping, sometimes disturbing, occasionally even  violent novel might come as something of a surprise. But if you've read any of  Hoban's later work, like <em>Pilgermann</em> or <em>The Moment Under the Moment</em>,  then you know what this sophisticated and extraordinarily graceful writer is  capable of, and why <em>The Mouse and His Child</em> deserves praise as one of the  more profound children's works ever written. (Ages 9 to adult) <em>--Paul Hughes</em></p></p>]]>
  </description>
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  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at></read_at>
  <date_added>Wed Mar 11 15:10:46 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Wed Mar 11 15:11:35 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[This looks like a children's book but it isn't.  Like the books of Beatrix Potter, Hoban's children's books (the Frances series) are all worth an adult's attention.]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/48960581]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/48960581]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>50592236</id>
    <user>
    <id>1804239</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Brian]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Bellingham, WA]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/1804239-brian]]></link>
    <image_url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/images/nophoto-M-111x148.jpg]]></image_url>
  </user>
    <book>
  <id type="integer">24909</id>
  <isbn>0439098262</isbn>
  <isbn13>9780439098267</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">37</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[The Mouse And His Child]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1167544593m/24909.jpg</image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24909.The_Mouse_And_His_Child</link>
  <average_rating>4.10</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>189</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[Like so many exceptional children's books, Russell Hoban's <em>The Mouse  and His Child</em> clearly wasn't intended only for kid consumption. It certainly  qualifies as a fantastic story for children: the characters are entertaining and  memorable, the images powerful, the pacing tight, and the message unique and  lasting. But this sweet, melancholy fable about a wind-up pair of tin mice--a  dancing father and son joined at the hands--explores so many different themes of  hope, perseverance, transformation, and the nature of existence (while still  managing to be quite funny at times) that it's the sort of book that demands to  be kept around for a lifetime of rereading.<p>  The father and son's redemptive quest to become &quot;self-winding&quot; takes them  through all sorts of trials, from the toy store to the dump to the swamp and  back again, and all along the way the pair runs afoul of Hoban's well-realized  and often menacing menagerie of characters, including the slave-driver Manny  Rat, the distracted thinker Muskrat, and Crow and Mrs. Crow and their Caws of  Art Experimental Theatre Group. (These last provide some of the best scenes in  the book, getting a surprising amount of philosophical meat out of a play called  <em>The Last Visible Dog</em>: &quot;What <em>doesn't</em> it mean! There's no end to  it--it just goes on and on until it means anything and everything, depending on  who you are and what your last visible dog is.&quot;)<p>  If you're only familiar with Russell Hoban from his Frances books (<em>Bread and  Jam for Frances</em>), this gripping, sometimes disturbing, occasionally even  violent novel might come as something of a surprise. But if you've read any of  Hoban's later work, like <em>Pilgermann</em> or <em>The Moment Under the Moment</em>,  then you know what this sophisticated and extraordinarily graceful writer is  capable of, and why <em>The Mouse and His Child</em> deserves praise as one of the  more profound children's works ever written. (Ages 9 to adult) <em>--Paul Hughes</em></p></p>]]>
  </description>
</book>

    <rating>3</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
  <shelves>
    
      <shelf name="read" />
    
          <shelf name="childrens" />
          <shelf name="fantasy" />
          <shelf name="fiction" />
          <shelf name="philosophy" />
      </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[lovers of children's fantasy]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[Tim Etchells]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Thu Apr 09 10:51:24 -0700 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Fri Mar 27 02:52:22 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Thu Apr 09 10:51:24 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count>1</read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[Possibly the most philosophically thought-provoking children's book I've read.  Ontological questions and ruminations on infinity make this modern descendent of The Wind in the Willows an engaging read for adults.  Whether or not the story holds up for children--and for what age--I don't know. ]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/50592236]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/50592236]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>72792657</id>
    <user>
    <id>2620277</id>
    <name><![CDATA[GiGi]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[The United States]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/2620277-gigi]]></link>
    <image_url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/images/nophoto-F-111x148.jpg]]></image_url>
  </user>
    <book>
  <id type="integer">24909</id>
  <isbn>0439098262</isbn>
  <isbn13>9780439098267</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">37</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[The Mouse And His Child]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1167544593m/24909.jpg</image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24909.The_Mouse_And_His_Child</link>
  <average_rating>4.10</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>189</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[Like so many exceptional children's books, Russell Hoban's <em>The Mouse  and His Child</em> clearly wasn't intended only for kid consumption. It certainly  qualifies as a fantastic story for children: the characters are entertaining and  memorable, the images powerful, the pacing tight, and the message unique and  lasting. But this sweet, melancholy fable about a wind-up pair of tin mice--a  dancing father and son joined at the hands--explores so many different themes of  hope, perseverance, transformation, and the nature of existence (while still  managing to be quite funny at times) that it's the sort of book that demands to  be kept around for a lifetime of rereading.<p>  The father and son's redemptive quest to become &quot;self-winding&quot; takes them  through all sorts of trials, from the toy store to the dump to the swamp and  back again, and all along the way the pair runs afoul of Hoban's well-realized  and often menacing menagerie of characters, including the slave-driver Manny  Rat, the distracted thinker Muskrat, and Crow and Mrs. Crow and their Caws of  Art Experimental Theatre Group. (These last provide some of the best scenes in  the book, getting a surprising amount of philosophical meat out of a play called  <em>The Last Visible Dog</em>: &quot;What <em>doesn't</em> it mean! There's no end to  it--it just goes on and on until it means anything and everything, depending on  who you are and what your last visible dog is.&quot;)<p>  If you're only familiar with Russell Hoban from his Frances books (<em>Bread and  Jam for Frances</em>), this gripping, sometimes disturbing, occasionally even  violent novel might come as something of a surprise. But if you've read any of  Hoban's later work, like <em>Pilgermann</em> or <em>The Moment Under the Moment</em>,  then you know what this sophisticated and extraordinarily graceful writer is  capable of, and why <em>The Mouse and His Child</em> deserves praise as one of the  more profound children's works ever written. (Ages 9 to adult) <em>--Paul Hughes</em></p></p>]]>
  </description>
</book>

    <rating>4</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
  <shelves>
    
      <shelf name="read" />
    
          <shelf name="miscellaneous" />
      </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[kids mostly, but adults can read it too]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[Pvmom]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Thu Jan 15 00:00:00 -0800 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Mon Sep 28 12:28:50 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Mon Sep 28 12:28:50 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count>1</read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[It was a good book, but I liked how the mouse kid always took things as he thought they were.  Like he didn't know what they were, so innocent.  ]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/72792657]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/72792657]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>6089528</id>
    <user>
    <id>47504</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Tiffany]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Seattle, WA]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/47504-tiffany]]></link>
    <image_url><![CDATA[http://photo.goodreads.com/users/1207538579p3/47504.jpg]]></image_url>
  </user>
    <book>
  <id type="integer">24909</id>
  <isbn>0439098262</isbn>
  <isbn13>9780439098267</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">37</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[The Mouse And His Child]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1167544593m/24909.jpg</image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24909.The_Mouse_And_His_Child</link>
  <average_rating>4.10</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>189</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[Like so many exceptional children's books, Russell Hoban's <em>The Mouse  and His Child</em> clearly wasn't intended only for kid consumption. It certainly  qualifies as a fantastic story for children: the characters are entertaining and  memorable, the images powerful, the pacing tight, and the message unique and  lasting. But this sweet, melancholy fable about a wind-up pair of tin mice--a  dancing father and son joined at the hands--explores so many different themes of  hope, perseverance, transformation, and the nature of existence (while still  managing to be quite funny at times) that it's the sort of book that demands to  be kept around for a lifetime of rereading.<p>  The father and son's redemptive quest to become &quot;self-winding&quot; takes them  through all sorts of trials, from the toy store to the dump to the swamp and  back again, and all along the way the pair runs afoul of Hoban's well-realized  and often menacing menagerie of characters, including the slave-driver Manny  Rat, the distracted thinker Muskrat, and Crow and Mrs. Crow and their Caws of  Art Experimental Theatre Group. (These last provide some of the best scenes in  the book, getting a surprising amount of philosophical meat out of a play called  <em>The Last Visible Dog</em>: &quot;What <em>doesn't</em> it mean! There's no end to  it--it just goes on and on until it means anything and everything, depending on  who you are and what your last visible dog is.&quot;)<p>  If you're only familiar with Russell Hoban from his Frances books (<em>Bread and  Jam for Frances</em>), this gripping, sometimes disturbing, occasionally even  violent novel might come as something of a surprise. But if you've read any of  Hoban's later work, like <em>Pilgermann</em> or <em>The Moment Under the Moment</em>,  then you know what this sophisticated and extraordinarily graceful writer is  capable of, and why <em>The Mouse and His Child</em> deserves praise as one of the  more profound children's works ever written. (Ages 9 to adult) <em>--Paul Hughes</em></p></p>]]>
  </description>
</book>

    <rating>4</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
  <shelves>
    
      <shelf name="read" />
    
      </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[parents reading to children]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Wed Aug 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007</read_at>
  <date_added>Wed Sep 12 07:19:54 -0700 2007</date_added>
  <date_updated>Thu Dec 17 10:12:49 -0800 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[It's hard for me to imgaine a children's book written today that had so many characters die!  There's a lot of sadness in The Mouse and His Child, even though it ultimately has a happy ending.<br/><br/>But I think Lemony Snicket has proven that not all children's books need to be light and happy. ...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6089528">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6089528]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6089528]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>62657332</id>
    <user>
    <id>1560497</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Meredith]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[The United States]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/1560497-meredith]]></link>
    <image_url><![CDATA[http://photo.goodreads.com/users/1222264967p3/1560497.jpg]]></image_url>
  </user>
    <book>
  <id type="integer">24909</id>
  <isbn>0439098262</isbn>
  <isbn13>9780439098267</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">37</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[The Mouse And His Child]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1167544593m/24909.jpg</image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24909.The_Mouse_And_His_Child</link>
  <average_rating>4.10</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>189</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[Like so many exceptional children's books, Russell Hoban's <em>The Mouse  and His Child</em> clearly wasn't intended only for kid consumption. It certainly  qualifies as a fantastic story for children: the characters are entertaining and  memorable, the images powerful, the pacing tight, and the message unique and  lasting. But this sweet, melancholy fable about a wind-up pair of tin mice--a  dancing father and son joined at the hands--explores so many different themes of  hope, perseverance, transformation, and the nature of existence (while still  managing to be quite funny at times) that it's the sort of book that demands to  be kept around for a lifetime of rereading.<p>  The father and son's redemptive quest to become &quot;self-winding&quot; takes them  through all sorts of trials, from the toy store to the dump to the swamp and  back again, and all along the way the pair runs afoul of Hoban's well-realized  and often menacing menagerie of characters, including the slave-driver Manny  Rat, the distracted thinker Muskrat, and Crow and Mrs. Crow and their Caws of  Art Experimental Theatre Group. (These last provide some of the best scenes in  the book, getting a surprising amount of philosophical meat out of a play called  <em>The Last Visible Dog</em>: &quot;What <em>doesn't</em> it mean! There's no end to  it--it just goes on and on until it means anything and everything, depending on  who you are and what your last visible dog is.&quot;)<p>  If you're only familiar with Russell Hoban from his Frances books (<em>Bread and  Jam for Frances</em>), this gripping, sometimes disturbing, occasionally even  violent novel might come as something of a surprise. But if you've read any of  Hoban's later work, like <em>Pilgermann</em> or <em>The Moment Under the Moment</em>,  then you know what this sophisticated and extraordinarily graceful writer is  capable of, and why <em>The Mouse and His Child</em> deserves praise as one of the  more profound children's works ever written. (Ages 9 to adult) <em>--Paul Hughes</em></p></p>]]>
  </description>
</book>

    <rating>3</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
  <shelves>
    
      <shelf name="read" />
    
          <shelf name="childrens-literature" />
      </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Sat Oct 01 00:00:00 -0700 2005</read_at>
  <date_added>Wed Jul 08 12:54:14 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Wed Jul 08 12:56:30 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[This book is masquerading as a children's book, but I don't think it's really meant for children.  ]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/62657332]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/62657332]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>11096374</id>
    <user>
    <id>713812</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Gary]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Edinburgh, The United Kingdom]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/713812-gary]]></link>
    <image_url><![CDATA[http://photo.goodreads.com/users/1243278315p3/713812.jpg]]></image_url>
  </user>
    <book>
  <id type="integer">24909</id>
  <isbn>0439098262</isbn>
  <isbn13>9780439098267</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">37</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[The Mouse And His Child]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1167544593m/24909.jpg</image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24909.The_Mouse_And_His_Child</link>
  <average_rating>4.10</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>189</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[Like so many exceptional children's books, Russell Hoban's <em>The Mouse  and His Child</em> clearly wasn't intended only for kid consumption. It certainly  qualifies as a fantastic story for children: the characters are entertaining and  memorable, the images powerful, the pacing tight, and the message unique and  lasting. But this sweet, melancholy fable about a wind-up pair of tin mice--a  dancing father and son joined at the hands--explores so many different themes of  hope, perseverance, transformation, and the nature of existence (while still  managing to be quite funny at times) that it's the sort of book that demands to  be kept around for a lifetime of rereading.<p>  The father and son's redemptive quest to become &quot;self-winding&quot; takes them  through all sorts of trials, from the toy store to the dump to the swamp and  back again, and all along the way the pair runs afoul of Hoban's well-realized  and often menacing menagerie of characters, including the slave-driver Manny  Rat, the distracted thinker Muskrat, and Crow and Mrs. Crow and their Caws of  Art Experimental Theatre Group. (These last provide some of the best scenes in  the book, getting a surprising amount of philosophical meat out of a play called  <em>The Last Visible Dog</em>: &quot;What <em>doesn't</em> it mean! There's no end to  it--it just goes on and on until it means anything and everything, depending on  who you are and what your last visible dog is.&quot;)<p>  If you're only familiar with Russell Hoban from his Frances books (<em>Bread and  Jam for Frances</em>), this gripping, sometimes disturbing, occasionally even  violent novel might come as something of a surprise. But if you've read any of  Hoban's later work, like <em>Pilgermann</em> or <em>The Moment Under the Moment</em>,  then you know what this sophisticated and extraordinarily graceful writer is  capable of, and why <em>The Mouse and His Child</em> deserves praise as one of the  more profound children's works ever written. (Ages 9 to adult) <em>--Paul Hughes</em></p></p>]]>
  </description>
</book>

    <rating>5</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
  <shelves>
    
      <shelf name="read" />
    
          <shelf name="american-authors" />
          <shelf name="childrens-literature" />
      </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[buddhists, and other fellow travellers]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Mon Jun 02 00:00:00 -0700 2008</read_at>
  <date_added>Thu Dec 27 12:19:42 -0800 2007</date_added>
  <date_updated>Mon Jun 02 09:30:30 -0700 2008</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[Just before I got to the end of this novel I read <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/899091.The_New_Buddhism">The New Buddhism</a> in its entirety. Imagine my surprise when I completed The Mouse and his child, which held promise of a happy ending despite being grim in places and full of foreboding, to discover that Russell Hoban had envisaged something of the sw...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/11096374">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/11096374]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/11096374]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>78904007</id>
    <user>
    <id>2724932</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Rebecca]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[The United States]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/2724932-rebecca-wrigley]]></link>
    <image_url><![CDATA[http://photo.goodreads.com/users/1261193053p3/2724932.jpg]]></image_url>
  </user>
    <book>
  <id type="integer">24909</id>
  <isbn>0439098262</isbn>
  <isbn13>9780439098267</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">37</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[The Mouse And His Child]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1167544593m/24909.jpg</image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24909.The_Mouse_And_His_Child</link>
  <average_rating>4.10</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>189</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[Like so many exceptional children's books, Russell Hoban's <em>The Mouse  and His Child</em> clearly wasn't intended only for kid consumption. It certainly  qualifies as a fantastic story for children: the characters are entertaining and  memorable, the images powerful, the pacing tight, and the message unique and  lasting. But this sweet, melancholy fable about a wind-up pair of tin mice--a  dancing father and son joined at the hands--explores so many different themes of  hope, perseverance, transformation, and the nature of existence (while still  managing to be quite funny at times) that it's the sort of book that demands to  be kept around for a lifetime of rereading.<p>  The father and son's redemptive quest to become &quot;self-winding&quot; takes them  through all sorts of trials, from the toy store to the dump to the swamp and  back again, and all along the way the pair runs afoul of Hoban's well-realized  and often menacing menagerie of characters, including the slave-driver Manny  Rat, the distracted thinker Muskrat, and Crow and Mrs. Crow and their Caws of  Art Experimental Theatre Group. (These last provide some of the best scenes in  the book, getting a surprising amount of philosophical meat out of a play called  <em>The Last Visible Dog</em>: &quot;What <em>doesn't</em> it mean! There's no end to  it--it just goes on and on until it means anything and everything, depending on  who you are and what your last visible dog is.&quot;)<p>  If you're only familiar with Russell Hoban from his Frances books (<em>Bread and  Jam for Frances</em>), this gripping, sometimes disturbing, occasionally even  violent novel might come as something of a surprise. But if you've read any of  Hoban's later work, like <em>Pilgermann</em> or <em>The Moment Under the Moment</em>,  then you know what this sophisticated and extraordinarily graceful writer is  capable of, and why <em>The Mouse and His Child</em> deserves praise as one of the  more profound children's works ever written. (Ages 9 to adult) <em>--Paul Hughes</em></p></p>]]>
  </description>
</book>

    <rating>5</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
  <shelves>
    
      <shelf name="read" />
    
      </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Wed Dec 09 00:00:00 -0800 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Tue Nov 24 17:53:51 -0800 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Wed Dec 09 18:57:39 -0800 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[I listened to this audio book (with narrator William Dufris) and it was so amazing! The narrator is phenomenal and the story was incredibly creative and heartwarming. I highly recommend it - especially the audio book.]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/78904007]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/78904007]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>31169168</id>
    <user>
    <id>1328026</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Kmgregory]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[The United States]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/1328026-kmgregory]]></link>
    <image_url><![CDATA[http://photo.goodreads.com/users/1216657336p3/1328026.jpg]]></image_url>
  </user>
    <book>
  <id type="integer">24909</id>
  <isbn>0439098262</isbn>
  <isbn13>9780439098267</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">37</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[The Mouse And His Child]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1167544593m/24909.jpg</image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24909.The_Mouse_And_His_Child</link>
  <average_rating>4.10</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>189</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[Like so many exceptional children's books, Russell Hoban's <em>The Mouse  and His Child</em> clearly wasn't intended only for kid consumption. It certainly  qualifies as a fantastic story for children: the characters are entertaining and  memorable, the images powerful, the pacing tight, and the message unique and  lasting. But this sweet, melancholy fable about a wind-up pair of tin mice--a  dancing father and son joined at the hands--explores so many different themes of  hope, perseverance, transformation, and the nature of existence (while still  managing to be quite funny at times) that it's the sort of book that demands to  be kept around for a lifetime of rereading.<p>  The father and son's redemptive quest to become &quot;self-winding&quot; takes them  through all sorts of trials, from the toy store to the dump to the swamp and  back again, and all along the way the pair runs afoul of Hoban's well-realized  and often menacing menagerie of characters, including the slave-driver Manny  Rat, the distracted thinker Muskrat, and Crow and Mrs. Crow and their Caws of  Art Experimental Theatre Group. (These last provide some of the best scenes in  the book, getting a surprising amount of philosophical meat out of a play called  <em>The Last Visible Dog</em>: &quot;What <em>doesn't</em> it mean! There's no end to  it--it just goes on and on until it means anything and everything, depending on  who you are and what your last visible dog is.&quot;)<p>  If you're only familiar with Russell Hoban from his Frances books (<em>Bread and  Jam for Frances</em>), this gripping, sometimes disturbing, occasionally even  violent novel might come as something of a surprise. But if you've read any of  Hoban's later work, like <em>Pilgermann</em> or <em>The Moment Under the Moment</em>,  then you know what this sophisticated and extraordinarily graceful writer is  capable of, and why <em>The Mouse and His Child</em> deserves praise as one of the  more profound children's works ever written. (Ages 9 to adult) <em>--Paul Hughes</em></p></p>]]>
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    <rating>4</rating>
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  <read_at>Sun Aug 24 00:00:00 -0700 2008</read_at>
  <date_added>Mon Aug 25 15:02:29 -0700 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Mon Aug 25 15:06:53 -0700 2008</date_updated>
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    <body><![CDATA[I ordered this book because there was a movie made in the 1970s that I saw at least once as a child.  The imagery in the film was so striking that it still appears in my dreams so I looked up the book in order to read a more in-depth version of they story.  <br/><br/>Since it's a children's story ...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/31169168">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/31169168]]></url>
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      <review>
  <id>43378350</id>
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    <id>1766878</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Bookworm]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[The United States]]></location>
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  <id type="integer">24909</id>
  <isbn>0439098262</isbn>
  <isbn13>9780439098267</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">37</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[The Mouse And His Child]]>
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  <average_rating>4.10</average_rating>
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    <![CDATA[Like so many exceptional children's books, Russell Hoban's <em>The Mouse  and His Child</em> clearly wasn't intended only for kid consumption. It certainly  qualifies as a fantastic story for children: the characters are entertaining and  memorable, the images powerful, the pacing tight, and the message unique and  lasting. But this sweet, melancholy fable about a wind-up pair of tin mice--a  dancing father and son joined at the hands--explores so many different themes of  hope, perseverance, transformation, and the nature of existence (while still  managing to be quite funny at times) that it's the sort of book that demands to  be kept around for a lifetime of rereading.<p>  The father and son's redemptive quest to become &quot;self-winding&quot; takes them  through all sorts of trials, from the toy store to the dump to the swamp and  back again, and all along the way the pair runs afoul of Hoban's well-realized  and often menacing menagerie of characters, including the slave-driver Manny  Rat, the distracted thinker Muskrat, and Crow and Mrs. Crow and their Caws of  Art Experimental Theatre Group. (These last provide some of the best scenes in  the book, getting a surprising amount of philosophical meat out of a play called  <em>The Last Visible Dog</em>: &quot;What <em>doesn't</em> it mean! There's no end to  it--it just goes on and on until it means anything and everything, depending on  who you are and what your last visible dog is.&quot;)<p>  If you're only familiar with Russell Hoban from his Frances books (<em>Bread and  Jam for Frances</em>), this gripping, sometimes disturbing, occasionally even  violent novel might come as something of a surprise. But if you've read any of  Hoban's later work, like <em>Pilgermann</em> or <em>The Moment Under the Moment</em>,  then you know what this sophisticated and extraordinarily graceful writer is  capable of, and why <em>The Mouse and His Child</em> deserves praise as one of the  more profound children's works ever written. (Ages 9 to adult) <em>--Paul Hughes</em></p></p>]]>
  </description>
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  <read_at>Wed Jan 14 00:00:00 -0800 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Sat Jan 17 13:08:23 -0800 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Sat Jan 17 13:08:23 -0800 2009</date_updated>
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    <body><![CDATA[ Wow. That's all I have to say.]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/43378350]]></url>
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