Reviews
Publishers Weekly
Jennifer Holm (Our Only May Amelia) and her brother Matthew Holm, a graphic designer, make an incursion on Captain Underpants territory with these comic books about a girl mouse. Both tales share eye-grabbing black-and-pink graphics, and a perceptible Spiegelman influence simmers in the energetic ink illustrations of the dot-eyed heroine. Queen of the World! introduces Babymouse and her nemesis, a popular cat named Felicia Furrypaws. Babymouse desperately wants an invitation to Felicia's slumber party (which she feels could confer "queen" status), although her best friend Wilson the Weasel expects her to watch monster movies with him that night. Fantasy sequences testify to Babymouse's reading habit and active imagination: in one reverie, she's Babymouserella, transformed into a princess by "fairy godweasel" Wilson, but undone by Felicia on the way to the ball ("In `Cinderella,' the mouse pulls the carriage. Duh!"). A sequel, Our Hero, centers on a gym class where unathletic Babymouse faces dodgeball whiz Felicia. Before the competition, Babymouse daydreams of boot camp, stomps on her antagonist as "Babymousezilla" and indulges in a Peter Pan sequence where a combined Felicia-Hook makes her walk the plank into the jaws of a crocodile (who doubles as the gym teacher). The Holms make humorous allusions to novels and movies, and interject sympathetic remarks from an offstage narrator. This personable, self-conscious mouse, with her penchant for pink hearts, resembles Kevin Henkes's Lilly, with some extra years of grade-school experience. Ages 7-10. (Dec.) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.
Ken Marantz and Sylvia Marantz - Children's Literature
The graphic novel format has arrived in the elementary school with a charming anthropomorphic heroine with whom female readers in particular can identify. As she goes through her boring, frustrating daily routine at home and school, Babymouse wonders where the glamour and adventure can be. Her friend and helpmate since kindergarten has been Wilson the Weasel; her nemesis the popular and snooty Felicia Furrypaws. Babymouse's wide-ranging imagination offers her adventures while she waits in vain for an invitation to Felicia's slumber party. When she finally gets one, she realizes the value of a real friend. With only a black felt marker and pink washes, the artists create the cartoon characters and simple settings. The visual narrative is presented in a variety of frames and vignettes, with most of the text in speech balloons, as is standard in comic strips. There is a driving energy to the drawings, along with animation, dramatic adventures, and lots of fun. 2005, Random House Children's Books, Ages 7 to 10.
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