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Town Mouse, Country Mouse Hardcover – Picture Book, August 31, 1994

by Jan Brett (Author)

4.8 547 ratings

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Mice overflowing with personality and richly detailed settings make this a favorite edition of the classic tale.

Jan Brett introduces two engaging mouse couples eager to get away from their everyday lives. But when they agree to swap homes, they are plunged into unexpected adventures at every turn.

In a story filled with suspense and humor, lush green country scenes alternate with the elegant details of a fine Victorian townhouse, making this a breathtakingly beautiful picture book.

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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The grass may be greener in the country, and the carpets softer in the city, but--as the two amiable mouse couples in Brett's rich interpretation of the timeless fable finally resolve--"There's no place like home." Brett's ( The Mitten ; Trouble with Trolls ) version of how they arrive at their wise conclusion serves up a sumptuous visual feast. The art on each double-page spread (alternately devoted to urban and rural settings) is brimming with droll details; exquisite patterns appear on clothing, china and rugs; and imaginative borders range from silk cord to pottery shards to dandelions. The text also conveys the culture gap between the city and the country mice with a good deal of humor. When she feels a raindrop on her head, the city-mouse wife asks, "Is the bathtub leaking?"; and her natty husband proudly dons a new jacket ("so colorful and eye-catching"), not realizing that it will indeed catch a creature's eye--that of a large owl whose greedy clutches he barely escapes. Bound to be a standout among the season's picture book offerings. Ages 4-8.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 3-A new spin on the familiar fable. A mouse couple living in a town are enchanted by the simple life of the country, and, while on a picnic, meet a pair of local mice who long for the luxury and convenience of the city. Homes are swapped, but they find that reality is different from their expectations. Both couples end up fleeing from unfamiliar, predators-a cat in town and an owl in the country-all the way home. The owl and cat collide, and in an original twist, negotiate a territorial swap of their own. Traditionally, the town resident is portrayed as a pompous snob who turns his nose up at the country dweller's simple fare, while the country mouse is a folksy bumpkin. In Brett's version, the town mice are as charming and naive as their country cousins. Furthermore, the original fable depicts country life as utterly tranquil, but the city mice find that it is anything but serene. Brett's narrative alternates the parallel mishaps of the two sets of mice with lively, smooth writing and a deft touch of humor. As with any of her books, the illustrations are rich with meticulous detail. The natural fibers of the clothes of the country mice are as realistic in texture as the fine beaded and bedecked clothing of the town mice. The text is neatly integrated into each double-page spread. Lozenges at either side portray the activities of the two predators and are bordered with natural objects such as buttons, stamps, coins, and safety pins. Because of the wealth of small details, the book is better suited for one-on-one sharing than as a group read aloud.
Donna L. Scanlon, Lancaster County Library, PA
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Ages 4-8. As might be expected, there's a lot for children to enjoy in Brett's latest offering. Both text and art reach well beyond the familiar story to achieve a humorous twist. The artwork is gorgeous. Each double-page spread, crammed with fascinating, intricate decorative flourishes, contains several parts: the cleverly and appropriately bordered central illustration depicting the text, and the decorative panels, one on each side of the main picture, that elaborate on or add new bits of information to the alternating main stories about two pairs of married mice. These side panels, which don't present a sequential story in the manner of some of Brett's picture books, focus largely on the misadventures of a townwise cat and a countrywise owl, each of whom would like nothing better than mice for dinner. The pictorial high jinks take an especially comedic turn at the end when the owl and the cat decide it's their turn to change places. With animal characters so realistic they look as though they might leap from the pages (fetching clothing notwithstanding), this playful retelling is certain to become a favorite. Stephanie Zvirin

From Kirkus Reviews

Brett's (Christmas Trolls, 1993, etc.) embellishment of the familiar tale is clever: Each mouse here has a wife, and, like many contemporary couples, these two decide to exchange homes for a while. What follows, in alternating country and city scenes, is the result of their navet concerning their new environments, including both humorous misconceptions (`` `Is the bathtub leaking?' `No, we're in the country now,' he said. `Those are raindrops' '') and narrow escapes (a cat lurks in side panels in the town scenes, an owl in the country). Brett's narrative is amusing, but best here are her meticulous illustrations of the appealing creatures and their exquisitely imagined world, with the town's delicately patterned crockery and lavish larder rivaling the country's elegantly limned wildlife for interest. A strong entry from a popular artist. (Folklore/Picture book. 4-8) -- Copyright ©1994, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

About the Author

With over thirty four million books in print, Jan Brett is one of the nation's foremost author illustrators of children's books. Jan lives in a seacoast town in Massachusetts, close to where she grew up. During the summer her family moves to a home in the Berkshire Hills of Massachusetts.

As a child, Jan Brett decided to be an illustrator and spent many hours reading and drawing. She says, "I remember the special quiet of rainy days when I felt that I could enter the pages of my beautiful picture books. Now I try to recreate that feeling of believing that the imaginary place I'm drawing really exists. The detail in my work helps to convince me, and I hope others as well, that such places might be real."

As a student at the Boston Museum School, she spent hours in the Museum of Fine Arts. "It was overwhelming to see the room-size landscapes and towering stone sculptures, and then moments later to refocus on delicately embroidered kimonos and ancient porcelain," she says. "I'm delighted and surprised when fragments of these beautiful images come back to me in my painting."

Travel is also a constant inspiration. Together with her husband, Joe Hearne, who is a member of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Jan visits many different countries where she researches the architecture and costumes that appear in her work. "From cave paintings to Norwegian sleighs, to Japanese gardens, I study the traditions of the many countries I visit and use them as a starting point for my children's books."

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ G. P. Putnam's Sons; Illustrated edition (August 31, 1994)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 32 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0399226222
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0399226229
Reading age ‏ : ‎ 2 - 7 years, from customers
Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ AD630L
Grade level ‏ : ‎ Preschool - 3
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 13.6 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 10.69 x 0.38 x 8.69 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #312,895 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #726 in Children's Mouse & Rodent Books
- #2,746 in Children's Classics
- #12,203 in Children's Literature (Books)

Customer Reviews:
4.8 547 ratings

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Jan Brett

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Jan Brett is the author of the New York Times bestselling Gingerbread Friends, The Three Snow Bears, and The Mitten, as well as many other classics. She lives in Norwell, Massachusetts.

Customer reviews

4.8 out of 5

547 global ratings

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Elizabeth

Another adorable Jan Brett book!

Reviewed in the United States on January 4, 2024

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Beautifully illustrated in full color, sweet story, another wonderful Jan Brett book!

Reviewed in the United States on February 2, 2024

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It's not an easy book to read, beautiful story but not easy.

Reviewed in the United States on August 24, 2019

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This book is truly a treat to read. My 6-year-old absolutely loves it -- the pictures are so pretty, and the borders around each page tie in with the story and you could spend a long time just looking at all the details. The story is interesting, exciting, and engaging for kids -- a really great retelling of a classic tale. My 6-year-old found it so funny when the town mice saw an owl for the first time and shrieked, "A cat with wings!" and then the country mice saw the cat and cried, "an owl with teeth!" She quotes those lines often.

7 people found this helpful

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Abigail

Cute story

Reviewed in the United States on February 20, 2023

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Cute classic story with beautiful illustrations!

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Maria Gloria del Rio

es un libro muy bonito para niños

Reviewed in the United States on July 4, 2023

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Lo compré para mis nietos . Muy bonito , lindas las ilustraciones.

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Ma'am

Cute mouse version of a classic

Reviewed in the United States on January 14, 2021

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Our book didn’t have a dust jacket but it is still worth keeping. Very cute story. Love the artwork too.

One person found this helpful

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Amazon Customer

Wonderful and beautiful

Reviewed in the United States on August 14, 2016

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This is a beautiful book-the illustrations are gorgeous - full of detail and color - you could spend a long time just looking at the details on each page. It would be a wonderful book to read to a child and ask them to tell the stories illustrated on the side panels. So happy I purchased this book.

4 people found this helpful

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Annemarie Peltzer

Two couples of mice find disappointment in changing their places

Reviewed in the United States on March 26, 2023

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I did like the gorgeous illustrations and was rather surprised at Jan Brett's quirky follow-up story of La Fontaine's fable. Actually it would it would be interesting to have the respective mice receiving their visitors in their country or town dwellings.

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renee

lindo

Reviewed in Brazil on February 18, 2023

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Jan Brett é uma ilustradora nao muito conhecida no Brasil mas famosa em outros lugares, seu site disponibiliza sua arte e seu livros infantis são muito bonitos com um traço delicado. este é um livro fino feito em papel couche brilhante que dá gosto de ter em coleção para quem admira essa ilustradora e seus ratinhos , ouriços e outros bichinhos .

3 people found this helpful

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RedCapeTales

One of Jan Brett's best books

Reviewed in Canada on June 8, 2018

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Jan Brett's adaptation of The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse, part of Aesop's Fables is an expanded take on the tale with a humorous and clever ending. Originally, the story consists of two mouse cousins, and focuses only on the country mouse's instances while in town. In this version, the characters are mouse couples and includes experiences from both couples while house swapping.

Although the plot is centered around the mice, there are many other animals that appear in the background and side stories. The illustrations are full page and it's very busy with the main action in the center and subplots on the sides adding a broader view of the landscape as well as the storyline. Each illustrated spread is adorned with very detailed borders that accentuates the settings of the story. The animals have wonderful outfits on; the town animals wear fancy clothes, complete with jewellery while the country animals clothing are rugged and casual. Although the animals do wear clothes and have human traits, they also look very realistic.

Amazon Customer

parents had asked guests to buy their favorite childhood book and this was mine when aged 9 ...

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 19, 2017

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ordered as a naming day gift , parents had asked guests to buy their favorite childhood book and this was mine when aged 9 years, very happy with purchase.

ママ

素晴らしい

Reviewed in Japan on October 1, 2023

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こんなに美しい挿絵はとても珍しく、アート作品といった感じです。

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Cheri

The story and graphics are beautiful. Cuddle up with your grandchild

Reviewed in Canada on January 16, 2021

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A beautiful book in every way. The colours and graphics draw you into the story. My granddaughter loves to cuddle up with this book. The story itself is wonderful. Highly recommend this book.

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