Elspeth Lorraine

It is a fact universally known that I adore small mice. And small watercolor paintings of small mice. See DOODLES. The only time I do not like small mice is when my cat Moe springs them from their humane traps in the basement, brings them upstairs to the sunroom and “plays” with them as my husband runs around trying to catch the mice/Moe/the tears falling from my face. But I did just discover the caveat to all this… if that small mouse was wearing a small, teeny, weeny, woolen beanie and dreaming of a life at sea? I think I’d let her live in the sunroom. 

Mabel is a small mouse that has grand dreams. She lives in a cabin with a man and a boy. The man has built an incredible wooden sailboat (mouse sized!) and Mabel wants to sail it. But “If the man wouldn’t even allow the boy to touch the ship, why would he let a mouse?” Each night she stares at the boat and wishes… until one night she feels a sea breeze and gets the courage to take the boat out. She sails all night and is filled with wonder. When the boat crashes into a rock, she believes all is lost until the man and boy come out to rescue her and the broken ship. The man is sad, but with the boy’s help, and Mabel’s too, they work together to bring the ship back to working order. 

Bits and Pieces: The art was quintessential Cordellian (I don't know if that's a word but it is now), the cross hatching of his ink pen keeping the eye busy with details. There’s a reason he’s won a Caldecott medal and the art feels fresh, yet classic. 

Not Sure About: I thought the boy’s character twas a wee bit superfluous. The man and the mouse had plenty of story without him.

Favorite Part: Mabel’s lil woolen beanie. AND her matchbook bed, which in my opinion is the bedrock of mice culture. They HAVE to live in a box of matches. Also this line “As the sun rose, Mabel felt free. She felt full of wonder.” The best children’s books have that feeling of independence that children crave and Mabel is a good example of following your dreams even if there is a crash in the middle. 

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