A Folktale Retold

Traditional Literature Review
LS 5603.20/Spring 2010
S. Vardell

BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Young, Ed. Seven Blind Mice. New York: Penquin Group, 1992. ISBN: 0399222618

PLOT SUMMARY:
Seven colored blind mice make individual observations. It is only when the white mouse puts all of the pieces of information together and sees the whole, that the mice discover the truth. The text is summed up by the Mouse Moral, "Knowing in part may make a fine tale but wisdom comes from seeing the whole".

                                                CRITICAL ANALYSIS:

Seven Blind Mice by Ed Young recalls the nursery rhyme of old, Three Blind Mice. With creative artistic license he creates seven blind mice, one for each day of the week. Each mouse is set apart by its color: white, blue, red, purple, yellow and green. The conflict arises when the seven mice "were surprised to find a strange Something by their pond". Together they flee. Each mouse takes a turn in observing the "strange Something". Each mouse comes back with a colorful explanation identifying the mysterious object . By Sunday, the seventh mouse makes the trip to see the "strange Something". Being wiser than the rest, this mouse looks at the "whole" of the object by observing the "strange Something"  looking from every direction, down and side to side, to come to a conclusion. Finally, this mouse's savvy leads the others  mice to the truth. The story tells a creative moral while instructing the reader about the seven days of the week.

Ed Young is the illustrator of this book as well. Crafting paper, cutting and collageing is his choice medium. The background on every page is a solid opaque black outlined with a half-inch white frame. All of the color choices for his mice and the "strange Something" are vivid, with extra dramatic impact, and contrasted with the nior background. The text is offset in a crisp, white font that will assist the youngest reader. The paper used throughout the book looks personally made, much like the style of Eric Carle. The minimalist background is the perfect choice for the pallet of color and texture. Each page results in this visually engaging book that tells a good story, teaches the days of the week and will be shared for years to come.

AWARDS WON AND REVIEW EXCERPTS:
Caldecott Honor Book

THE HORN BOOK starred review: "Immensely appealing."
KIRKUS REVIEWS, pointer review: "Exquisitely crafted: a simple, gracefully honed text, an appealing story, and outstanding illustration and design--all add up to a perfect book."

CONNECTIONS:
Ed Young Biographical Information:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ed_Young_(illustrator)
Author Spotlight at Randomhouse.com:  http://www.randomhouse.com/author/results.pperl?authorid=71120
Embracing the Child website: http://embracingthechild.org/
                   Ed Young link: http://www.embracingthechild.org/Bookspecialyoung.htm

 

Books by Ed Young:

BEYOND THE GREAT MOUNTAINS A Visual Poem about China

Dragon King

Voices of the Heart
Lon Po Po
Mouse Match
What about Me


 images credited to:  http://embracingthechild.org/