The Church Mice and the Moon

The Church Mice #3

by Graham Oakley

The church mice are kidnapped by scientists intent on sending them to the moon. Can Samson find them and save them in time?

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Cats, Fiction, Adventure, Animals, Humor

Paperback

First published January 1, 1974

About the author

Graham Oakley is a children's book author and illustrator, most active during the 1960s to 1980s. He is best known for the Church Mice series and also illustrated many book covers in the 60s.

For the current UK author of children's books at Top That! press see Graham Oakley.

Reviews

[LJ]

In the third book of the Church Mice series, Arthur and Humphrey are abducted by two low-life scientists to be used as test subjects for a moon flight and it is up to Sampson to save them. The majority of the mice are not in most of this book, so there is a lack of what are usually the best scenes where you stare a a crowd of mice to see all the little different things each of them are doing, although there are still a few to enjoy. And there is still much comic detail to look out for in the other illustrations. The edition I have doesn't have the usual wrap-around cover which is disappointing, I feel I am missing half an illustration for this particular book! I like the anti-animal testing theme of this book too. Something that I have noticed on this particular read-through is how the jokey exaggerated newspaper headlines are the same sort of thing we get nowadays. Apparently nothing has changed in nearly fifty years. (It is funny seeing seventies fashions though.) Something I haven't mentioned yet in these reviews is how much I love that the title page and end page of each book are bonus illustrations of the mice mucking about. There is just so much love and effort and attention put into every page of these books.

[Abigail]

The third entry in Graham Oakley's series of picture-books about the adventures and misadventures of a group of English church mice and their cat companion, The Church Mice and the Moon sees Arthur and Humphrey kidnapped by two rather nefarious scientists bent on sending them to the moon. It falls to Sampson the cat to sabotage the astronautical mission and rescue them, a task he accomplishes most inadvertently, while seeking a warm place to nap...

Like The Church Mouse and The Church Cat Abroad , this offered an engaging story paired with charming illustrations. The "science" behind the mission to the moon is nonexistent, but then, Oakley is clearly writing a fantasy. The humor is quite pointed here, particularly when the two scientists see an angel in their transmission from "space," and while I enjoyed their very evident discomfort and denial, I had to wonder if the author was setting up some kind of false "science vs. faith" dichotomy. The artwork is as detailed as in the previous two titles, although many of the human figures have a distinctly seventies appearance. All in all, despite my enjoyment, The Church Mice and the Moon felt a little dated to me.

[Archy]

Quite possibly my favorite picture book. It combines a great story line, rodents, detailed pictures and "adult" humor.

Humphrey and Arthur are mouse-napped by some third rate scientists with very poor hygiene. They are put through an brief training session that would never pass IUCAC and then put in a space capsule on the way to the moon. Sampson the church cat and the other church mice rescue Humphrey and Arthur. Hilarity ensues.

My two favorite panels are:
"The next thing they saw would have made most people give up science forever" (as the camera on the space capsule points to a church angel statue)

and "Ladies and gentlemen of the press, behold, the moon" (as the camera points at... well, you can imagine).

[Rosemary]

Oakley's deceptively simple Church Mice picture books match stories of the mice and their tribulations with clever drawings of a pastoral English setting. Look a little closer -- the action in the pictures often contradicts the heroic tales being told by the mice and the result is pure hilarity. Wrestle it from the kiddies and enjoy with a cup of tea and a biscuit!

[Kelly]

Hilarious and the boys loved it!

[Inigo]

I love this author. So clever!

[Donna]

Arhtur and Humphrey, two of the church mice, lured in by a slice of lemon and currant cheesecake, are captured by scientists who plan to send them to the moon in a shoddy rocket. Luckily, Sampson the church cat does not give up on his friends and rescues them.

These also have some bits that kids likely wouldn't pick up on, like the camera that's supposed to be heading to the moon actually being knocked over beside the mice's church. The scientists are quite surprised to see on their screen an angel (stonework from the church), and then later when they declare "here is the Moon", the image they get is one of the church kids bending over to give food to the mice (it is indeed a moon).

You also get great lines like "Arthur and Humphrey were boring the fur off everybody with yarns about gravitational pull and computerized orbits, while Sampson had yet another forty winks, making a total of fifteen thousand, three hundred and twenty so far, and it was still only three o'clock." I love this series.

[Nancy]

I think Graham Oakley is wonderful. This is my favorite of the Church Mice books. It is just hilarious! The illustration is remarkable, often commenting on the text in a laugh out loud way. I'm so sad that these are not still easily available. Graham Oakley died recently, such a great loss to the world. I'm searching out and reading again all that I can find.

[Hilary]

So delightfully clever, the story is told with both the words and the pictures.

[Jill]

I’m rereading this children’s series. Hopefully the library can Inter Library Loan the books I don’t have. Pure nostalgia! There’s a reason they’ve survived over two decades in our house!

[wildct2003]

Entertaining book in the series

[Phie]

I love this

[Angie]

Moon, Cat, Mice. What's not to like? lol!

[Gloriana]

Poky wit, genius book.

[Sannro]

Barnet gav boken en 5:a. Inte jag som läste men det ekade av skratt från sovrummet.

[Lisa Rector]

Loved these books as a kid!

[Karen L.]

I can't get enough of these cute books. I love the illustrations, the quirky mouse characters of Arthur and Humphrey, and last the mouse loving Samson the Cat. In this one Arthur and Humphrey are kidnapped to be test mice in a scientific expedition to the moon. Read it for yourself and find out how what happens.

[Eyehavenofilter]

Book 3 finds Sampson and his Mose pals kidnapped by scientists to be sent to the moon... The chances of that happening seem to be pretty good.... But you'll just have to read this beautifully illustrated book to see what all the fuss is about!

[Lucy Coleman]

Laughed aloud when I was reading this delightful story to my 1 year old daughter. Possibly my favourite of the Church Mice stories!

[Peter]

First it was my son and now my grandson turn to love this book.