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Alexander and the Wind-Up Mouse
by
Leo Lionni
Everyone loves Willy the wind-up mouse, while Alexander the real mouse is chased away with brooms and mousetraps. Wouldn't it be wonderful to be loved and cuddled, thinks Alexander, and he wishes he could be a wind-up mouse too. In this gentle fable about a real mouse and a mechanical mouse, Leo Lionni explores the magic of friendship.
Originally published in 1969, the Cald...more
Originally published in 1969, the Cald...more
Paperback, 32 pages
Published
September 12th 1974
by Dragonfly Books
(first published November 12th 1969)
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I felt as though this book was cute and filled with the idea of friendship and loyalty. Having Alexander meet a wind-up mouse whose name is Willy is creative. When Alexander is told that Willy himself cannot move without being wound-up he goes off to the lizard for help to make his friend become a regular alive mouse. The lizard than informs Alexander that he needs to obtain one purple pebble and bring it to the lizard when there is a full moon to switch Willy from a win-up mouse to an alive mou...more
Alexander and the Wind-Up Mouse is told from the point of view of the day in the life of a mouse. Throughout the entire story images are displayed in proportion to the typical size of a mouse which provides the reader with a reasonable understanding for how a mouse views life. The pictures in this story vary in how they were displayed. At times there may have been only two or three items on a page which then left a lot of empty white space and seemed somewhat boring. Other times, however, the il...more
Jul 14, 2012
joanna Sondheim
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
pratt-children-s-lit
A slightly off beat fable, featuring Leo Lionni's grey and white collaged mice. The book is made entirely by collage, with gorgeous printed cutouts interspersing and his frequently used wide-eyed mice. Alexander is a mouse who is tired of constantly dealing with the shrieks and broom swats from the humans who's house he resides in. When he notices how beloved a wind-up toy mouse is to the young girl who lives there, he decides he wants to find a way to turn himself into a toy. A magic lizard in...more
This was a cute book about friendship and how you will make friends that are different from you. In the novel, he finds out that there is a wind-up mouse upstairs that doesn’t live in the dark at night and everyone loves him. For a while, he really wanted to be the wind-up mouse until he realizes that he has a special gift that the wind-up mouse doesn’t have—legs. The wind-up mouse can only move when people wind him up.
One day, the wind-up mouse tells Alexander that there is a Lizard in the yar...more
One day, the wind-up mouse tells Alexander that there is a Lizard in the yar...more
This book is about a mouse named Alexander who lives in a rat hole at a house, every time the people see him they always start to try to hit him with a broom. One day he met a wind up mouse that was the toy of the little girl from the house. Alexander felt envy that the wind up mouse was treated better than he was. He wished he could be a wind up mouse, the toy told him about a magic lizard. Alexander went to see the lizard because he wanted to be a wind up mouse. He needed a purple pebble so th...more
Dec 22, 2012
Jan
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
All Ages; Kindergarten - 2nd Grade
Alexander and the Wind-up Mouse / written and illustrated by Leo Lionni (1969) -- SUMMARY: Alexander, the mouse, makes friends with Willy, a toy mouse, and wants to be just like him until Alexander discovers that Willy is to be thrown away. Caldecott Honor Book Award. COMMENTS: A classic Lionni tale that has long been a favorite of mine. CURRICULUM: Easily adaptable to story hour, my favorite format being flannel board format. Collage images are simple and alluring and can easily be adapted for...more
This story shows people how someone can love something so much they would do anything for them. Alexander has met this wind up mouse named Willy and just doesn't understand why he isn't a mouse when he is not wound up. The mouse goes through great measures to make willy a real mouse. This story also shows friendship. It will allow students to see how friends should act around each other and that it is important to show them compassion. The moral of this story is to never give up hope in your fri...more
Review: This is a great book about friendship. Alexander being a real mouse becomes friends with Willy the wind-up mouse even though they are different. This book has a great meaning and at the end both mice are happy, which makes it a good ending. Alexander and the Wind-Up Mouse book can show children what others will do for friends.
Learning Experience: After reading Alexander and the Wind-Up Mouse, talk about what the moral of this book was, wishing. Have the students write down three things...more
Learning Experience: After reading Alexander and the Wind-Up Mouse, talk about what the moral of this book was, wishing. Have the students write down three things...more
Nov 28, 2012
Shelby Dennis
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
animals,
social-emotional
This book is about a mouse that just want a few crumbs to eat. One day he found another mouse in the house, that just happened to be a wind up mouse toy and they became friends. The mouse wanted to be like the wind up toy because, he was allowed in the house, but soon the wind up toy would be thrown away and he wanted to change the toy into a rel mouse.
For a learning extension, I would read the book, then talk about how everyone is unique in their own way. I would also have all the children writ...more
For a learning extension, I would read the book, then talk about how everyone is unique in their own way. I would also have all the children writ...more
Mar 06, 2013
Susan Viveiros
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
picture-books
Alexander and the Wind-Up Mouse is a wonderful example of Leo Lionni's talent with collage. His bold use of colors and patterns keeps you turning the pages to see how he will depict the next "scene" in the story. This is a charming fable that shows we might just be happier the way we are and what true friends do for each other. If you notice Alexander the real mouse has a rough edge around his body and Willy is smooth and on the last page both mice are rough to show the fur of a real mouse. Leo...more
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The magic of friendship is stronger than anything in this tale of two mice. Alexander is a real mouse, jealous of the wind-up mouse Willy. Everyone loves Willy, and they never try to harm him. As the two become friends, Alexander wishes he was a wind-up mouse too. But when Willy is thrown out with other old items, Alexander must find a way to save his best friend. After reading this story, I realized that I enjoyed this book just as much as I did back when I was a child. The illustrations accomp...more
I have trouble with stories that start out seemingly based in the real world, and then just dump implausible magic on us. This story is just odd that way. I prefer The Velveteen Rabbit - this edition especially:
. Who knows - in 1969, maybe Lionni was trippin' (only secondhand, of course :). But I do love his artwork, and as other reviewers have said, I want a stuffed Lionni mouse of my own to cuddle!
. Who knows - in 1969, maybe Lionni was trippin' (only secondhand, of course :). But I do love his artwork, and as other reviewers have said, I want a stuffed Lionni mouse of my own to cuddle!
This is a cute little story about the power of friendship between a real mouse and a wind-up toy mouse. The real mouse wants to help the wind-up mouse become a real mouse so he goes to the lizard for help. The lizard lets him know that he need a special purple stone to change his friend. Once he gets the stone his friend is transformed into a real mouse. I liked the book because it really show children the power of friendship and the lengths someone is willing to go to for a friend.
Lesson: I wou...more
Lesson: I wou...more
Alexander is a grey mouse, who just wants a little bit of food. He is so excited when he meets, Willy, a wind-up toy that looks just like him. Alexander wishes so much that he was like Willy, a toy that his owner Annie played with and not just some rodent that gets chased away with a broom. So when Alexander hears that there is a magic lizard that can change animals into other things, he realizes he wants to be like Willy more than ever. Sadly, as it happens to all toys, some items in the house...more
This is a cute story of a mouse who is understandably not liked by the humans of the house. Yet, the little boy has a toy mouse that he loves. The toy and the mouse become friends. Alexander longs to be a toy mouse just like his friend so he can be loved.
One day he finds his friend the toy mouse in a box of other toys that are to be discarded. The boy has outgrown the toy mouse. Alexander goes to the lizard who grants him one wish . . . no, not to become a toy mouse but to have the toy mouse bec...more
One day he finds his friend the toy mouse in a box of other toys that are to be discarded. The boy has outgrown the toy mouse. Alexander goes to the lizard who grants him one wish . . . no, not to become a toy mouse but to have the toy mouse bec...more
We've been going through Leo Lionni's fables, one by one, and this is one of the best ones. Just like Sylvester and the Magic Pebble, this story is a good reminder to be careful what you wish for. It should also teach you not to envy others, because they may not have it any better than you at the end of the day. Thankfully, our hero Alexander has a last minute change of heart and makes a good choice. The illustrations are wonderful, but the version we are reading is lacking some critical picture...more
Alexander the mouse is jealous of the affection Willy the wind-up mouse gets so he approaches the lizard in the garden who has the power to change animals into other animals hoping he will be able to become a beloved wind-up mouse. The lizard requires a purple pebble as payment for his services and Alexander searches high and low and eventually finds a purple pebble. By that time, however, Alexander has decided he doesn't want to be a wind-up mouse anymore because he found Willy discarded in a b...more
Year Published: 1969
Awards: Christopher Award, Caldecott Honor, ALA Notable Book Award
Age Level: 5-10
This is such a cute story about a regular mouse, named Alexander, living in a house who is not well liked, of course. He meets Willy, a wind-up mouse and they become friends, but they are still so different. Willy is well liked by everyone in the house whereas Alexander is not. Finally Alexander goes to make a wish to be turned into a wind-up mouse like Willy, but changes his mind and has Willy t...more
Awards: Christopher Award, Caldecott Honor, ALA Notable Book Award
Age Level: 5-10
This is such a cute story about a regular mouse, named Alexander, living in a house who is not well liked, of course. He meets Willy, a wind-up mouse and they become friends, but they are still so different. Willy is well liked by everyone in the house whereas Alexander is not. Finally Alexander goes to make a wish to be turned into a wind-up mouse like Willy, but changes his mind and has Willy t...more
I really love this book! Alexander makes the Wind -up mouse into a real mouse after the little girl got new toys for her birthday and did not want him anymore. I thought the book was so nice because it had a relly happy ending. When I was young I always were afraid that my stuffed animals could feel pain or something because I thought they were alive, so i took really good care of them. I believe that a lot of children can imagine that their stuffed animals are alive and this book can be a cute...more
I usually like Leo Lionni, but something about this one just bothered me. When I was younger, I would have sympathized with poor Alexander the mouse who just wants to eat a few crumbs but can't because the humans scream for help and chase him with a broom when they see him. As an adult, I felt sympathy for the poor humans who had a mouse in their house! I also didn't find it very believable that a child would cuddle with a wind-up mouse on their pillow at night.
I do like the illustrations, thou...more
I do like the illustrations, thou...more
1 like · like · see review
I think this one might be my favorite Leo Lionni book. This book won a 1970 Caldecott Honor award. Alexander is a real mouse that no one likes and is lonely, until he discovers Willy, the wind-up mouse. Everyone loves him and he even gets to sleep in a child's bed next to the stuffed animals on the pillow. Alexander comes to love him as well and spends all his free time playing with Willy. Willy tells him of a lizard magician who lives in the garden and grants wishes, so Alexander finds him, doe...more
Beautiful book about friendship. A really loyal friend do things sometimes very hard to make your friend happy. A good friend is the one to help you when you need it. Friends are to share with them happy and sad moments too.
Extension:
Lets play a game....... Hide and seek. Pretend you are a mouse. Ask to one kid to hide and count to 10, give the other kids the opportunity to hide while the kid is counting. The winner is the one to get to the base before the mouse trapped him. It is a very nice ga...more
Extension:
Lets play a game....... Hide and seek. Pretend you are a mouse. Ask to one kid to hide and count to 10, give the other kids the opportunity to hide while the kid is counting. The winner is the one to get to the base before the mouse trapped him. It is a very nice ga...more
I love Leo Lionni's mice. They are sooooo cute! I want a stuffed one but anyway. Alexander is a mouse and one day he meets Willy the wind up mouse. Annie loves Willy and Alexander is jealous because Willy is treated so well but people chase Alexander with a broom. So, Alexander goes to see a lizard to find out how he can become a wind up mouse.
1970 Caldecott Honor Book--It was beaten out by Sylvester and the Magic Pebble which has great art but I'm kind of partial to Leo Lionni. I have not seen...more
1970 Caldecott Honor Book--It was beaten out by Sylvester and the Magic Pebble which has great art but I'm kind of partial to Leo Lionni. I have not seen...more
Leo Lionni was a Dutch artist who grew up in Italy but fled to the United States at the outbreak of WWII. There he worked as a graphic artist and illustrator for Fortune Magazine. He returned to Italy in the 1960s where he began a new career as the writer and illustrator of children's literature. On of his earliest books is Alexander and the Wind-Up Mouse.
Alexander and the Wind-Up Mouse is an old childhood favorite of mine. Alexander is a mouse who lives in the wall of a home that has a little g...more
Alexander and the Wind-Up Mouse is an old childhood favorite of mine. Alexander is a mouse who lives in the wall of a home that has a little g...more
Dec 07, 2009
Amy Wadsworth
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
library-reading
This sweet story tells about a mouse who spends lonely nights wishing he was a toy instead of a real mouse. Then, he would be loved and cuddled like the toy mouse in the house--Willy. When Willy's owner gets some new toys, Willy is placed in a box and he prepares to be thrown away. Alexander changes his mind about what he would wish for, and sees his life as pretty good after all. Read the book to find out how Alexander finds happiness for himself and for Willy.
Oct 07, 2012
Rachael
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
1st-grade,
2nd-grade,
animals,
art,
collage,
ece-3601,
friendship,
imagination,
love-who-you-are
The grass is always greener on the other side. Alexander wishes to be loved like the wind-up mouse.
What is it that you wish for? Why do you think Alexander wanted to be like the wind-up mouse? Teach children to appreciate who they are and what they have. A unit on appreciating and celebrating YOU and who you are. I titled a shelf "love who you are" because some children do not automatically think they are great.
What is it that you wish for? Why do you think Alexander wanted to be like the wind-up mouse? Teach children to appreciate who they are and what they have. A unit on appreciating and celebrating YOU and who you are. I titled a shelf "love who you are" because some children do not automatically think they are great.
Mar 30, 2013
Mckenzie Quade
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
children-s-literature,
picture-books
This was a great story and book about friendship. Alexander met a friend Willy who was a toy and he made a wish to the magic lizard to change Willy into a real mouse so they could continue to be friends. Alexander could have been selfish and made a wish for himself, but he made his wish for Willy. This teaches the children a great lesson on how to think for others instead of just yourself.
Jul 23, 2012
Christina Mack
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
social-emotional
This is a nice story to read around the christmas season, or any time of the year if preferred. Really enjoyed reading along on this adventure.
extension:Class discussion, children can compare the difference between Alexanders and the Wind-Up Mouse's life, then choose which they prefer and explain why.
LD4b: engages in conversations with adults and children.
extension:Class discussion, children can compare the difference between Alexanders and the Wind-Up Mouse's life, then choose which they prefer and explain why.
LD4b: engages in conversations with adults and children.
Good story however, I didn't like the idea of the mouse not feeling loved or cuddled. Although some children will experience this it wouldn't be a book I would choose as a read aloud. I do like that Alexander and Willie made friends in the story.
Learning extension: You could do a physical activity by haveing the children wind themselves up and get moving.
Learning extension: You could do a physical activity by haveing the children wind themselves up and get moving.
This was another favorite book as a child. I picked it up because of the Caldecott Honor (because of the assignment in my Children's Lit class), but also because I remembered it. It's an interesting tale of a mouse that finds a wind-up toy mouse and makes friends. If you liked Velveteen Rabbit, this story is fairly similar, but still worth reading.
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| sara | 2 | 5 | Sep 16, 2011 03:30pm |
FROM PUBLISHER:
Leo Lionni wrote and illustrated more than 40 highly acclaimed children's books. He received the 1984 American Institute of Graphic Arts Gold Medal and was a four-time Caldecott Honor Winner--for Inch by Inch, Frederick, Swimmy, and Alexander and the Wind-Up Mouse. Leo Lionni died in October of 1999 at his home in Tuscany, Italy, at the age of 89.
Leo Lionni has gained international...more
More about Leo Lionni...
Leo Lionni wrote and illustrated more than 40 highly acclaimed children's books. He received the 1984 American Institute of Graphic Arts Gold Medal and was a four-time Caldecott Honor Winner--for Inch by Inch, Frederick, Swimmy, and Alexander and the Wind-Up Mouse. Leo Lionni died in October of 1999 at his home in Tuscany, Italy, at the age of 89.
Leo Lionni has gained international...more
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