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MOUSE IN LOVE by Robert Kraus

MOUSE IN LOVE

by Robert Kraus & illustrated by Jose Aruego & Ariane Dewey

Pub Date: Sept. 1st, 2000
ISBN: 0-531-30297-0
Publisher: Orchard

A trite valentine abbreviated to the point of confusion. Mouse, in love with he knows not whom—“ ‘I’ve never met her. / But try as I may, I can’t forget her.’ ”—vows to track “her” down, wherever she may dwell. He is joined in mid-quest by another mouse who sports a pink bow, is probably intended to be the second, questioning voice (“ ‘Where will you find her?’ ”), though she is never seen actually speaking, and in the end turns out to be (surprise, surprise) his sweetheart. And where does she dwell? Next door, of course. Unlike this team’s classics, such as Where Are You Going, Little Mouse? (1986), the illustrations seldom flesh out the minimal text, and that text, being an uneasy mix of prose and verse, develops a jerky rhythm at best. A weak effort from veterans who generally do better. (Picture book. 5-7)