Whitefoot: A Story from the Center of the World

by Wendell Berry, Davis Te Selle (Illustrations)

Whitefoot is a mouse, a small creature with "elegant whiskers" and a "reddish brindly tan" coat. She lives at the edge of the woods, where she knows, without a doubt, that she exists at the center of the world. What she doesn’t know is that not far from her safe haven there is a river, and a world of such size and magnitude that she cannot even imagine it. One day, a burst of rain floods down on Whitefoot, lifting her in its currents and carrying her far from home. What happens next leads Whitefoot on a great adventure — one in which she must encounter new experiences and challenges to her survival. The discovery of the universe around her, and her ability to survive within it, is a lesson that’s sure to resonate with children and adults alike. Written by best-selling author, Wendell Berry, this beautiful volume is illustrated in fine detail with original drawings by acclaimed artist Davis Te Selle.

Genres: Fiction, Childrens, Picture Books, Nature, Animals

64 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

Wendell Berry is a conservationist, farmer, essayist, novelist, professor of English and poet. He was born August 5, 1934 in Henry County, Kentucky where he now lives on a farm. The New York Times has called Berry the "prophet of rural America."

Reviews

[Lynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I should begin by saying Berry is in the top five of my favorite authors, poets, essayists. I was intrigued to see that he was entering the children's lit field with this title. However, I didn't quite get the point of publishing this as it is. It feels more like a writing exercise than a finished work. It's gentle storytelling -- but a little too gentle perhaps, meaning I came away wondering what he was trying to say. If Berry wants to take a whack at children's books, surely he can apply his uncanny and astounding storytelling skills to that genre more deftly than he does here. I sincerely hope he tries again, though.

[Eric Overby · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not your classic, happily ever after, children's book. Berry lets you follow a mouse through a short adventure, taking you into its life and mind. Like most of Berry's short stories, it just looks at one event in the many that may come in a lifetime of a mouse. It lets you imagine where it comes from and what happens next.

[Troy Solava · Rating 5 out of 5]

As always, Berry is illustrative with his words. Who knew I’d care about a mouse surviving? This will be a good book to read to the kids.

[Lois · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just a lovely gentle little book. My favorite sentence ("She was highly skilled in being a mouse.", with its context:

"In comparison to a white oak, or even a human, she would not live long, perhaps not a year, almost certainly not two, but the little life she had she loved dearly and so far she had taken excellent care of it. She had fed herself well on nuts and seeds and insects. She had kept herself clean and neat. She had been cautious and clever in keeping herself out of the sight of larger creatures. She was highly skilled in being a mouse."

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

A tender story for a quiet moment; this let me be a small creature for a wee bit of time, and see the view from the "center of the world."

[Adam · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ennnh. As much as I love Berry's adult fiction, this doesn't really work. The book is just what we usually get when a talented novelist trundles into kid lit terrain without bothering to study the juvenilia classics and what makes them successful. That is, Whitefoot is pleasant but insignificant and instantly forgettable.

[Naomi · Rating 4 out of 5]

A charming children's story of a mouse through a storm. There are a lot of bird species named in this - so families can spend time looking at flood plain ecologies in the American midwest and south and identifying all the other animals named in this tale as a follow-up activity.

[Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful text, lovely illustrations, naturalistic short story. Good for all ages and you don't need to be a Wendell Berry aficionado as I am to appreciate this work. Young children used to drama might find ending an anticlimax, but to me it is perfect. I've read it several times.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 ⭐️ - Such a simple story about a mouse in Port William (Berry’s world). And it’s not just that she was in Berry’s world but she’s only focused on her world. “Wherever she was, she was at the center of the world. That one lives at the center of the world is the world's profoundest thought.”

This book caused me to reflect on the ability of Man to realize there’s more that goes on in “His world” but also our propensity to have a narrow focus on our problems as if they’re the only things that matter.

[Ashley Stangl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wendell Berry has done the impossible. He made me genuinely enjoy a book about the life of an animal character. I think it's because these types of stories give us the inner life of an animal character in a way that makes me go, "But I know animals don't act like that," but Berry keeps the tale and its descriptions so grounded in the real details of nature that I can believe animals act like that, and I can enjoy the story and its lovely poetic turns of phrase.

[Anna Mussmann · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you think of it as a short story that happens to have illustrations, this makes for a gently pleasant adult read. Many of the lines and phrases are lovely. I’m not so sure how it would go over with children. I’ll quite likely start reading it to my kids (they are accustomed to Thornton Burgess, so the subject matter won’t be foreign) and see how they respond.

[Soraya Keiser · Rating 4 out of 5]

A gentle story through the eyes of a mouse. Of course Wendell Berry focuses on the smallest bits of our lives too. Whitefoot is at the center of her world, therefore she is at the center of the world — a tender concept.

[Danielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adorable

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

New family and personal favorite. A classic.

[Bec · Rating 3 out of 5]

Delightfully illustrated, carefully detailed - a mouse thrown into turmoil when she is carried away by a flood, and the threats she has to manage.

[Samantha Vanegas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wendell Berry is widely recognized as a great American writer and poet and a brilliant defender of agrarian values. “Whitefoot” is his first foray into children’s literature, but adults will be glad to eavesdrop on this quiet, well-crafted tale. Readers of Berry’s Port William series will recognize passing references to the fictional town, and the shared themes of work, order and patience.

“She worked according to an ancient, honorable principle: Enough is enough. She worked and lived without extravagance and without waste. Her nest was a neat small cup the size of herself asleep.”

Berry’s poetic but economical prose is well-suited to the tale of such a mouse.

Whitefoot believes she lives at the center of the world, until a springtime flood carries her far from the forest edge she knew as home. Berry does not anthropomorphize the little white-footed mouse, who doesn’t talk or even think in human terms. Still, her discovery of a wider and dangerous world, and her ability to survive within it, is a lesson that will resonate with us humans.

Readers are helped to enter Whitefoot’s tiny world by twenty black-and-white illustrations. Te Selle’s densely detailed drawings are unsentimental and beautiful, and depict life an inch above the ground. We emerge from the book with a restored sense of place and proportion.

“To imagine the life and adventures of Whitefoot, you must compress your mind to her size. Think of going about with your eyes only an inch or two from the ground, among grass stems thicker than your wrist, maple and oak leaves that you can slip under and hide, trees that touch the sky.”

Though written for children, the language does not condescend; and though young children may not understand all the language or subtext, they will enjoy the calm action, and perhaps be emboldened by Whitefoot’s acceptance of life and her ability to survive. The compact little book of sixty pages is ideal for nature study.

[Becky Loader · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't especially care for mice, but I think I love gentle Whitefoot. He loses his home in a quite spectacular way, and I am glad to say that he makes a new one.

Written by famous environmentalist Wendell Berry, the story is a gentle telling of an animal's life.

[Easter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Genre: Modern Fantasy
Grade Range: 1st-3rd

I love the use of personification in this book. The traits of Whitefoot are realistic but simple enough to understand and give her a strong personality. A lot of books take wild animals and give them humanistic charms and quirks, which is fun and engaging, but this books sticks to mostly realistic traits of a wild mouse. I twas an engaging read and could be used as a fun educational read for children.

[Bradford Combs · Rating 2 out of 5]

Probably the lowest rating I've given to a book authored by Wendell Berry. Then again, this wasn't a typical Wendell Berry book. I was curious as to why he'd write a story about a mouse in Port William, and I hoped for the mouse to unknowingly cross paths with some of the Port William characters I've grown to love. Sadly, this did not happen. In fact, the story has little to do with Port William save that parts of it are said to take place there. Rather, it's just the story of a mouse surviving during a flood. It's not a bad read in any way, but not one I'll come back to anytime soon. Just a cute little forgettable story.

[Michael Rich]

What a neat story. I love that Whitefoot is part of the Port William Membership. Rather anticlimatic ending, but fitting when you think about Berry's themes. This is well worth the quick read. Berry's descriptions of the local flora and fauna, and narrative voice are spectacular. Davis Te Selle's illustrations alone make the book worth purchasing. I got a nice used hardcover on Amazon.com for about 7 bucks. A sweet deal for a beautiful book.

[Adriel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This little book is written in stunning beauty. The words are elegant and though the story is short and simple, it feels rich. Though the story is one about a mouse caught in a flood, it does not resort to anthropomorphism, which is refreshing, and still managed to capture my 5 year old's attention and interest. I was worried that since it had no dragons or wizards or hero's with swords he would not be interested, but he quietly listened and talked about it the next day.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Found at the bookstore where I volunteer, it's a surprise story of a mouse and her survival by the poet Wendell Berry. His poetry is wonderful, but I didn't know about this lovely story, illustrated in pencil sketches. It's told from the POV of the mouse, showing the needs and abilities of a mouse, with little anthropomorphism. It would make a good mentor text for older students who might research the ways of an animal, and write them into a story.

[Robyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this would be sort of an adult version of Miss Bianca, the lovely woodcuts also an adult version of the Garth Williams illustrations. But alas it was not. A good story that swept me right up but such a quick ending, disappointing. A beautiful moment that should have been more than just a moment.

[John · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not really sure what I just read. I think it was an attempt at a children's story, but nothing really happened to hook a child's interest, so I'm guessing it was a parable or an allegory of sorts. Love Berry's poetry and adult fiction, and I do know what he was trying to get at here (and I appreciate the message), but not a fan of this effort. 2 stars.

[Paula]

Really more of a short story, or even a kind of character sketch, than a novel. It reminded me a bit of a couple of William Steig's works that I enjoyed -"Abel's Island", and "Gorky Rises." I read this because I'd never read anything by Wendell Berry, and this was the only book easily available.

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful, gentle, beautifully illustrated book for all ages.

[Bill · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this when it was published as a story in Orion magazine. It is a great little story about perspective and world view...

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read: 1-2 Aug 2009. Excellent for all ages! Gift from Sara that she brought me from ALA.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

Only Wendell Berry could write a children's book with an agrarian perspective :-)

Our children really enjoyed the book and the illustrations!

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely story, simple but with profound truths nestled throughout.