PRO CONNECT
While traveling in China decades ago, I saw a drawing of a mouse with huge ears. This image stayed with me and being an erstwhile carver of stone, I ultimately rendered him in alabaster. Now three dimensional, this unique little guy had a story to tell kids, thus came SPACE MOUSE, my first bit of fiction. As a retired medical school professor my not-insubstantial writing heretofore was non-fiction, hopefully. However, being a scientist, I was compelled to frame my little mouse’s adventure around the fascinating science of listening for life in outer space.
“(I had asked about his initials) “All mice have the middle initial, M……it comes from the recognition that mice are cute and often charming, but potentially mistaken for rats who are frightening. When you see my middle initial, you know I’m nice.””
– Kirkus Reviews
A large-eared mouse recounts how he came to play a starring role on an American spaceship in this debut children’s book.
An English professor is enjoying polishing his BMW one day when he discovers a talking mouse in the trunk. Bert M. Whisperfoot—BMW for short—resembles a typical mouse in some ways, but he speaks in a deep voice and uses a red headband to tie back his enormous ears. It takes a bit of time (and some Gorgonzola cheese) before BMW opens up, and the professor is, like the mouse, all ears. BMW was born in China but wanted to escape being teased for his big ears, so he studied diligently, learned English, and traveled to America. When scientists discovered his keen hearing, they recruited him to listen for extraterrestrial messages from a spaceship. That didn’t pan out, but he did overhear bad guys planning to set off a bomb and warned authorities in time—earning a presidential medal and a retirement party. In his book, Saunders presents a bold adventurer in BMW; for example, even before his space exploration, the mouse daringly stowed away in a woman’s handbag to reach America. Yet alongside its derring-do, the story is suffused with a gentle spirit and good humor. Despite his achievements, BMW is lonely, and the professor is a good, compassionate listener; once he knows that slamming the car door hurts the mouse’s ears, he never does it again. Similarly, it’s congenial to see how BMW and Gordon the cat strike up an affectionate friendship. But Godin’s bland digital illustrations don’t possess the story’s charm and can be awkward, including depicting a canine-looking cat and what appears to be lipstick on the professor.
A pleasant, humorous animal tale that celebrates both courage and kindness.
Pub Date: July 21, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-5434-3772-0
Page count: 44pp
Publisher: Xlibris
Review Posted Online: April 27, 2020
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