Mr. Maxwell's Mouse by Frank Asch

by Frank Asch

Brand New. Will be shipped from US.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Animals, Fiction, Cats, Humor, 1st Grade

Hardcover

First published August 1, 2004

About the author

Frank Asch is an American children's writer, best known for his Moonbear picture books.

Asch published his first picture book, George's Store, in 1968. The following year he graduated from Cooper Union with a BFA. Since then he has taught at a public school in India, as well as at a Montessori school in the United States, conducted numerous creative workshops for children. He has written over 60 books, including Turtle Tale, Mooncake, I Can Blink and Happy Birthday Moon. In 1989 he wrote Here Comes the Cat! in collaboration with Vladimir Vagin. The book was awarded the Russian National Book Award and was considered the first Russian-American collaboration on a children's book.

Asch lived in Somerville, New Jersey where he and his wife home-schooled their son Devin.

He currently lives in Vermont with his wife, Jan.

Reviews

[Manny · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cat & Mouse League, latest scores

Tom vs Jerry 0-9
Bernard and Bianca vs Rufus 0-0
Samuel Whiskers vs T. Kitten 1-2
Duchy of Grand Fenwick vs Rest of World 2-0
Mr Maxwell vs Rodent on Rye 0-1

[Kathryn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Frank Asch's bear stories are quite cute. The only way I can effectively describe this story is to label it disturbing. I grabbed it at the library since I recognized the author's name and once at home my oldest flipped through it before I did. Technically, he flipped through all but the last few pages as he dropped the book and screamed. And we read Neil Gaiman's The Dangerous Alpahbet on a regular basis.

The story is about a cat celebrating a business promotion. He splurges and orders the raw mouse in the restaurant but is soon tricked into cutting into his own tail as the mouse escapes. I am unsure if I liked the story. My kids mostly liked it, though they were a little lost in the boring business talk. The artwork was original and saved the book overall. The mouse praying on a piece of toast was a bit overdone, if slightly humorous for an adult.

[Lea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Großartig gezeichnet, tolle Geschichte :D

[Lara's · Rating 4 out of 5]

Synopsis : It's lunchtime, and Mr. Maxwell is eager to celebrate his most recent promotion. Upon entering the Paw & Claw restaurant he is greeted by the headwaiter, Clyde, and led to his usual table for a rather unusual meal. A clever, suspenseful tale--David & Goliath story with whiskers...and claws!
Review : This finely mannered book quickly surprises it's readers by bringing up heavy class distinctions early on. Mr. Maxwell is a bit of an uptight fellow who gets knocked down a few pegs my a seemingly innocent mouse.
So begins the story of Mr. Maxwell and his meal, a very well mannered mouse with a hidden agenda. In this book, the mice are viewed as a lower class by the feline clientèle and meticulously brought forth to be served as fine meals. Shadows of mouse inferiority are present, "all of our mice are fresh and healthy" asserts Clyde the headwaiter "and bred for plumpness and politeness as well!".However, this particular mouse has other plans that are far from polite--he sets out to free his captive family and friends. There are some aspects of religion brought forth (praying before the "meal"), growing older and perhaps coming to terms with death which might be topics parents would want to broach with their children (dealing with death, cycle of life, etc.).
What I enjoyed about this book was the lesson that while you may find yourself in a set class situation where you are poor, seemingly powerless and stuck...you can break free and create a new life, a new reality, a new world for yourself and your family. Heavy, darkish subject matter.
Critical Reviews :
School Library Journal : Reviewed positively as "wickedly humorous" with "thrilling and chilling art" I would tend to agree wholeheartedly. Heralded by SLJ as one of the "Best books of 2004".
New York Times Reviewed by J.Patrick Lewis, the appreciation of the book is most certainly there. However, Mr. Lewis finds that the dialogs--which initially hold high promise--fail to deliver in an anti-climatic, slow moving conclusion. I agree that the ending would have been better served with a swift cut of the editor's knife.

[Andrew Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this to my daughter tonight, and it was an absolute delight. The artwork kept her enthralled, and the story was sufficiently stately/morbid that, by the end of it, she was brimming with questions (and had a mild look of horror on her face).

[E Money The Cat · Rating 3 out of 5]

Such a weird book. The illustrations are fantastic, the writing is hilariously clever (albeit more fit for adults than kids), but then the cat *spoiler* cuts his tail and its a little gory which sent my kitten running and screaming out of the room.

My kitten gave it 1 cat. She was not a fan.
I give it 5 because my sides were hurting and I’m attracted to dark humor and dark aesthetics.

Final verdict: 3 cats and 1 pesky mouse

[Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

A student who hates to be read to and despised books loved this book. A mouse prepared for dinner for a cat is able to find a way to escape and save fellow mouse friends. The illustrations are similar to a graphic novel. The kid loved it.

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. It is so beautifully illustrated. I had to just stare at the pictures. So crisp. The story was awesome too. It is about a cat who is very sofisticated. He was just promoted to Vice Manager of Efficiency Control at Taylor, Bentwell and Nipson and he is eager to celebrate at the Paws and Claws, a very fancy restaurant. He is greeted by the headwaiter Clyde and in celebration orders a live mouse. The cat and mouse story begins there. Then he meets his dinner. Such a polite dinner at that. This is a must read for you cat and mouse people out there. This is the best cat and mouse game I have seen in awhile. I had a cat named Maxwell Silverhammer and the title caught my eye. I don't think my Maxwell would have been so patient.

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fantastic book for children of all ages with such a great surprise ending! One of my absolute favorite books!

[SacadaGirl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Is this really a children's book?!?

[Debi Cates · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reading this to the Littles was an interesting experience.

On the one hand, they enjoyed the voices I gave as I read it aloud, especially the soft-spoken, polite mouse about to be eaten. They also were excited to guess what would happen next, very certain that the little mouse would escape.

On the other hand, when I asked them if this was a book to keep in their library or to donate, it was voted "donate." One Little cited the appearance of blood as something she didn't like, the other Little didn't think it would be a book she'd honestly like to read again.

So, we put this book in the Donate Box, the first book I've given them to be put there. It was bound to happen one day. I'm rating it 3 stars because I think they did enjoy it but just not enough for a second read, which I too experience in a lot in my reading life. Once is sometimes enough.

[Rose Rosetree · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sure, like the Goodreads blurber, you can call this a David-and-Golaith story. Or like this Goodreads reviewer, you call this another macabre picture book that stars this sinister-looking cat.

Likewise, you could call it hilarious when Mr. Maxwell goes to his favorite restaurant and orders:

* Mixed green salad for his appetizer.
* And a raw mouse for his entree.

Note, I didn't find this hilarious. (Which is why I didn't shelve this book under HUMOR.)

By the time this story ends, you might be happy to read the ending. Or else you just might prefer to go outside for some simple, uncomplicated, non-satirical breaths of fresh air.

FIVE STAR read, sure. Just not a personal favorite of mine.

[Beatrice Fox · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most morbid children's books I have ever read. It's like all the darkness of a Grimm fairy tell or for sure like an Aesop fable...with bits of Flannery O Connor style in it. A gentlemanly cat receives a promotion and is feeling saucy for lunch at his favorite ritzy restaurant so he orders a fresh live mouse to eat. And this comedy of manners sees him and the mouse politely engaging in conversation about how he is going to slice the mouse open and eat him...the mouse assists in this conversation in fact. Total Aesop's fable ending as well. The dialogue is so rich. And the art...is exquisite. TOtal anthropomorphic all the way with rich detail.

[Andrew Zeller · Rating 3 out of 5]

While this book was recommended to me in a children's book writing course, I found it to be exemplary of many things new writers are told to avoid. Talking animals, long paragraphs with vocabulary well beyond the understanding of the target age range, blood and violence: these are all rule-breakers. While there is a distinctive and appealing style to the illustrations and well-suited voice for the characters, I question if a child would find it engaging, confusing, or disturbing. While it's not my usual cup of tea, there is something about this book's dark tone and character arcs that pleased me. It's bold and might appeal to older readers who like cats, class, and suspense.

[Kieran Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a genuinely strange book. The art is a decadent, hyper-real update on deco, and isn't afraid of showing a drop of blood. The story is like a knowing take on Grimm, prodding at the civilised veneer which overlays brute savagery to form civilisation. There are flickers of dry comedy. It's a great story for kids, but unfortunately the prose itself feels padded; it's not that there are too many pages, but too many words on each page. Toying with his prey at great length is fun for Maxwell, but asks a lot of a kid's staying power. But this is an original, the dark obverse of Asch & Son's Baby Duck's New Friend.

[Rachel Grover · Rating 3 out of 5]

Found this book on a suggested list of middle school picture books. The idea is that Mr. Maxwell, a cat, goes to a restaurant selling live mice as its entrees. Through the course of the book, the mouse who arrives at Mr. Maxwell's plate delays his lunch in all kinds of ways. The ending is quite clever, and I think middle schoolers would really enjoy it. I would suggest this book for an English class or Creative Writing class, especially when studying "trickster" endings. On order for my middle school library.

[Bexa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Picked this up because it was on a list of picture books to read that older children might also enjoy. I'm not thrilled with this. The illustrations are beautiful. The concept of a cat ordering a mouse at a restaurant and then having to slice it to kill it was a little weird for me. I guess it's supposed to be funny because the cat gets hurt and the mouse escapes, but it was like a really wordy episode of Tom and Jerry.

[Peacegal · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the anthropomorphic style of the cats. MR. MAXWELL'S MOUSE is the slightly gruesome story of a cat who visits a fancy feline restaurant and orders a live mouse. The mouse uses his wits to escape becoming a cat's dinner, and then frees all of his ill-fated brethren. (Nobody wishes to be dinner!)

The theme may be a little dark for the tiniest tots, but those able to handle Warner Bros. cartoons will appreciate this witty twist on the cat-and-mouse genre.

[P.T. Notbarnum · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh, my! This book is simply a masterpiece of children's literature. I was around five when I and my little brother first read it. (we read it and chatted about the plot on our way to a vegetarian restaurant). Anyway, I thought then and still think now, that the book is witty and the illustrations are lovely.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had hoped to use it for preschool story time, but it's definitely too much for the preschoolers! Perhaps the right audience (maybe boys ages 5-8?) would find this book hilarious, but I found it slightly disturbing in a somewhat humorous way. The illustrations were marvelous, though!

[Margaret · Rating 1 out of 5]

Sick, dark, disturbing. If that's what you like to read to your kids, more power to you. Frankly, I don't need this kind of thing in my life and I would never read it to a child--mine or anyone elses. Confirms my belief that some children's book authors are sociopaths. Not all. Just some.

[Marisa Duarte · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mr. Maxwell just got a promotion at work and decides to treat himself to a live mouse for lunch. What happens when his lunch is a freedom fighter for mousekind? Detailed paintings give the feel of a gloomy afternoon in a stodgy corner of 1940s London. Ideal for 7 to 9 years old.

[Skari · Rating 4 out of 5]

Delightfully dark, beautiful illustrations, clever.

[Michiko · Rating 4 out of 5]

a clever mouse

[Rebecca Caufman · Rating 3 out of 5]

A dark trickster tale.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was recommended by one of Library Science professors, and it is adorable! So cute and so many laughs, and I loved the unique humanlike cat characters.

[Opetoritse]

Bizarre, macabre, and oddly hilarious, this is one for a very niche audience.

[Rick Christiansen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Classic

[Chaela]

hm.

[Lynn Davidson · Rating 3 out of 5]

A proud gentleman cat, Mr. Maxwell, arrived at the restaurant he frequented and ordered a meal that included raw mouse. When the mouse on rye toast was served, Mr. Maxwell opted to kill the mouse himself. The mouse was very polite and conversed with the cat, leading to a way for the cat to be tricked. While this story could be disturbing at the beginning of the story for some readers, there is humour, gorgeous illustrating, and a satisfying funny ending.