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Mousetropolis
With an exquisite palette and stunning compositions, award-winning illustrator R. Gregory Christie reimagines one of Aesop's most popular fables.
City Mouse leaves his noisy apartment for a vacation in the country—only to find drab meals, unseen predators, unbearable heat and too much quiet! So City Mouse takes his country cousin to Mousetropolis, where a rodent can indulge in rich food and rub elbows with the elite.
But just as the party is getting started, disaster strikes! A cat attacks, scaring the city sophisticates clear out of their fine attire . . . while Country Mouse runs without stopping until he reaches the familiar fields of home.
City Mouse leaves his noisy apartment for a vacation in the country—only to find drab meals, unseen predators, unbearable heat and too much quiet! So City Mouse takes his country cousin to Mousetropolis, where a rodent can indulge in rich food and rub elbows with the elite.
But just as the party is getting started, disaster strikes! A cat attacks, scaring the city sophisticates clear out of their fine attire . . . while Country Mouse runs without stopping until he reaches the familiar fields of home.
32 pages, Hardcover
First published September 15, 2015
1 person is currently reading
51 people want to read
About the author
R. Gregory Christie
61 books35 followersRichard Gregory Christie received a Caldecott Honor for his illustrations in Freedom in Congo Square, written by Carole Boston Weatherford. He is a three-time recipient of the New York Times Best Illustrated Children's Books Award, a six-time recipient of the Coretta Scott King Honor in Illustration, and a winner of the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award, the NAACP Image Award, and the Once Upon a World Children's Book Award from the Museum of Tolerance.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 63 reviews
June 18, 2019
Author/illustrator R. Gregory Christie offers a contemporary retelling of the classic Aesop fable of
The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse
in this picture-book. Fed up with life in Mousetropolis, City Mouse visits his country cousin, but although there is much to enjoy, he doesn't like the food, and finds the local predators unnerving. Country Mouse has much the same experience in the city...
Awarded a Caldecott Honor earlier this year (2017) for Freedom in Congo Square , R. Gregory Christie is a talented illustrator, and I enjoyed his artwork in Mousetropolis. His color scheme is appealing, and his mouse characters cute. The story itself isn't so different from the traditional version of the fable, save that the illustrations depict a modern city, and offer a contrast between the country predator (an owl), and the city one (a cat). I appreciated some of the humor in the text, as when City Mouse feels he is being watched, and the narrative confirms, "And he was." Recommended to anyone looking for more recent Aesop retellings.
Awarded a Caldecott Honor earlier this year (2017) for Freedom in Congo Square , R. Gregory Christie is a talented illustrator, and I enjoyed his artwork in Mousetropolis. His color scheme is appealing, and his mouse characters cute. The story itself isn't so different from the traditional version of the fable, save that the illustrations depict a modern city, and offer a contrast between the country predator (an owl), and the city one (a cat). I appreciated some of the humor in the text, as when City Mouse feels he is being watched, and the narrative confirms, "And he was." Recommended to anyone looking for more recent Aesop retellings.
October 19, 2024
Love these illustrations
November 3, 2015
This updated version of THE CTY MOUSE AND THE COUNTRY MOUSE has several moments of brilliance (Close-ups of the predators and the train-top scene) but overall falls short, in my opinion. It seems to be pushing the "cool" factor at the expense of quality storytelling in both words and images.
August 7, 2015
I prefer Jan Brett's Town Mouse/Country Mouse version.
October 23, 2015
Disappointing version of Aesop's Country Mouse and the City Mouse, this one has very choppy writing and NO transition between scenes or even pages.
December 3, 2015
nothing new here.
December 2, 2017
Reading Log
Title: Mousetropolis
Author: R. Gregory Christie
Genre: Fable
Theme(s): Gratitude for what you have, the grass is greener on the other side
Opening line/sentence (type directly from text):
“Too much noise! In the wee hours of the morning in downtown Mousetropolis, City Mouse was wide awake.
Brief Book Summary (2-3 sentences in your own words):
This book is about a mouse from the city (Mousetropolis) visiting his cousin in the country. He finds he doesn’t like the country too much, so he and his cousin go to Mousetropolis to stay at his place. The book ends with a cat coming and scaring Country Mouse all the way back home. The book ends with both mice realizing they are grateful for what they have and where they live.
Professional Recommendation/Review #1 (cut & paste, details below):
https://www.publishersweekly.com/978-...
Christie (Sugar Hill: Harlem’s Historic Neighborhood) presents a stripped-down version of Aesop’s “The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse” that brings the fable into the present day. City Mouse decamps to visit his “country cousin” after a bad night’s sleep in his apartment; readers see the brown mouse clutching two pillows to his ears while music streams from the turntables at a neighbor’s all-night party. The theme of music carries through Christie’s retelling: Country Mouse takes City Mouse to a jug-band jamboree, and when the mice return to the city together, dancers fill a subway platform—until a cat sends the mice scattering. While Aesop’s original favored the quiet, safe country life, Christie’s version is in line with adaptations that recognize the pros and cons of both settings. On the way to and from the jamboree, City Mouse is unnerved by the owls watching them. “This seems dangerous,” he says. “It is,” responds his cousin. “Keep walking.” Vivid acrylic paintings confer a dancer’s grace on the mice, whether they’re traversing a vast field or looking out on a ruddy sea of buildings. Ages 4–8. (Sept.)
Professional Recommendation/Review #2 (cut & paste, details below):
https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-re...
“A 21st-century update to Aesop’s enduring fable finds cousins City Mouse and Country Mouse spending time in each other’s locale to realize that they both prefer life at home.
Flowing acrylic-based gouache illustrations give this retelling a modern twist. Alternating between Mousetropolis and the countryside, the tale opens with City Mouse, who is annoyed with the incessant loud noise of the city. Receiving a letter from his cousin Country Mouse, City Mouse seizes upon the rural vacation opportunity. Although he lets loose at the farmhouse jamboree, City Mouse finds it hard to adjust to the eerily “quiet” surroundings. The food is different, the natural sounds and silences are creepy, and City Mouse can’t shake the feeling of being watched. They agree to a new plan. Country Mouse and City Mouse jump a train to the city. There’s dancing in the subways, ample food, and phalanxes of device-attached mice doing “important things”—and back home goes Country Mouse. Christie utilizes appealingly mouse-based language—“quicker than a mouse can nibble through a wheel of provolone”—to tell his story, and he carefully acknowledges the dangers of country life as well as those of the city. The illustrations effectively depict the dislocated mice’s subjective impressions of each setting; the tilt of an eyebrow communicates emotion.
A welcome addition to any folk-tale collection, this clever retelling and its warm, embracing illustrations demonstrate the enduring appeal of this classic tale. (Picture book/folk tale. 4-8)”
Response to Two Professional Reviews:
I remember reading the Aesop version of this fable as a child and I loved the modernization of the story. The mouse-based language that the reviews mention make the story more interesting and the modernization of the story may make it more relevant and relatable to younger readers. I like how this story does not favor one setting over another like the original does. I think I prefered this version better.
Evaluation of Literary Elements:
This book is fun to read, thanks to both the text and the colorful illustrations. When the mouse cousins are on the train, the author uses onomatopoeia to mimic the noise of the train going down the tracks, which I think lends itself nicely to the text. This book uses anthropomorphic characters to portray people, just like Aesop does in his original story.
Consideration of Instructional Application:
I think I would include this in my classroom library. I am not sure if I would do a unit on fables, because I prefer fairytales and folktales, but I would consider talking about fables for a day or two in the classroom during a folktale unit, since both often feature anthropomorphic characters. I prefer this modernized version of "The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse" over the original, and I would prefer to have this version in my library.
Title: Mousetropolis
Author: R. Gregory Christie
Genre: Fable
Theme(s): Gratitude for what you have, the grass is greener on the other side
Opening line/sentence (type directly from text):
“Too much noise! In the wee hours of the morning in downtown Mousetropolis, City Mouse was wide awake.
Brief Book Summary (2-3 sentences in your own words):
This book is about a mouse from the city (Mousetropolis) visiting his cousin in the country. He finds he doesn’t like the country too much, so he and his cousin go to Mousetropolis to stay at his place. The book ends with a cat coming and scaring Country Mouse all the way back home. The book ends with both mice realizing they are grateful for what they have and where they live.
Professional Recommendation/Review #1 (cut & paste, details below):
https://www.publishersweekly.com/978-...
Christie (Sugar Hill: Harlem’s Historic Neighborhood) presents a stripped-down version of Aesop’s “The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse” that brings the fable into the present day. City Mouse decamps to visit his “country cousin” after a bad night’s sleep in his apartment; readers see the brown mouse clutching two pillows to his ears while music streams from the turntables at a neighbor’s all-night party. The theme of music carries through Christie’s retelling: Country Mouse takes City Mouse to a jug-band jamboree, and when the mice return to the city together, dancers fill a subway platform—until a cat sends the mice scattering. While Aesop’s original favored the quiet, safe country life, Christie’s version is in line with adaptations that recognize the pros and cons of both settings. On the way to and from the jamboree, City Mouse is unnerved by the owls watching them. “This seems dangerous,” he says. “It is,” responds his cousin. “Keep walking.” Vivid acrylic paintings confer a dancer’s grace on the mice, whether they’re traversing a vast field or looking out on a ruddy sea of buildings. Ages 4–8. (Sept.)
Professional Recommendation/Review #2 (cut & paste, details below):
https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-re...
“A 21st-century update to Aesop’s enduring fable finds cousins City Mouse and Country Mouse spending time in each other’s locale to realize that they both prefer life at home.
Flowing acrylic-based gouache illustrations give this retelling a modern twist. Alternating between Mousetropolis and the countryside, the tale opens with City Mouse, who is annoyed with the incessant loud noise of the city. Receiving a letter from his cousin Country Mouse, City Mouse seizes upon the rural vacation opportunity. Although he lets loose at the farmhouse jamboree, City Mouse finds it hard to adjust to the eerily “quiet” surroundings. The food is different, the natural sounds and silences are creepy, and City Mouse can’t shake the feeling of being watched. They agree to a new plan. Country Mouse and City Mouse jump a train to the city. There’s dancing in the subways, ample food, and phalanxes of device-attached mice doing “important things”—and back home goes Country Mouse. Christie utilizes appealingly mouse-based language—“quicker than a mouse can nibble through a wheel of provolone”—to tell his story, and he carefully acknowledges the dangers of country life as well as those of the city. The illustrations effectively depict the dislocated mice’s subjective impressions of each setting; the tilt of an eyebrow communicates emotion.
A welcome addition to any folk-tale collection, this clever retelling and its warm, embracing illustrations demonstrate the enduring appeal of this classic tale. (Picture book/folk tale. 4-8)”
Response to Two Professional Reviews:
I remember reading the Aesop version of this fable as a child and I loved the modernization of the story. The mouse-based language that the reviews mention make the story more interesting and the modernization of the story may make it more relevant and relatable to younger readers. I like how this story does not favor one setting over another like the original does. I think I prefered this version better.
Evaluation of Literary Elements:
This book is fun to read, thanks to both the text and the colorful illustrations. When the mouse cousins are on the train, the author uses onomatopoeia to mimic the noise of the train going down the tracks, which I think lends itself nicely to the text. This book uses anthropomorphic characters to portray people, just like Aesop does in his original story.
Consideration of Instructional Application:
I think I would include this in my classroom library. I am not sure if I would do a unit on fables, because I prefer fairytales and folktales, but I would consider talking about fables for a day or two in the classroom during a folktale unit, since both often feature anthropomorphic characters. I prefer this modernized version of "The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse" over the original, and I would prefer to have this version in my library.
July 23, 2017
Mousetropolis by R. Gregory Christie tells that tale of two mice that lead very different lives. City Mouse lives in the super busy city of Mousetropolis. He has become fed up with all of the noise and bustle and decides to visit his cousin, Country Mouse.
Country life is not at all what City Mouse had thought it would be. He enjoys attending the jamborees, but cannot stand the food. And all of the peace and quiet is driving him crazy!
Country Mouse decides to head back to Mousetropolis with City Mouse to see what all the excitement is about. Mice are dancing everywhere. Gourmet food is for sale on every corner. But danger also lurks among the crowded streets.
Will City Mouse and Country Mouse ever find the lifestyle that they are looking for?
While I found Christie's illustrations to be whimsical and creative, I found the story to be greatly lacking in substance. The book is titled Mousetropolis, but the reader is suddenly transported to a country setting of unknown origins. The focus of the story is not the city of Mousetropolis, but on the characters of City Mouse and Country Mouse.
I also found the story to be too fast paced. I wish that the book would have been longer and that City Mouse would have tried more things while in the country than just eating and dancing. I feel like there is a great imbalance between the attention given to the City Mouse and Country Mouse characters. The text seems to focus more on City Mouse than Country Mouse.
The story also appeared to end very abruptly. While both mice have decided that they are "home," the reader is left to wonder why they made the choices that they did. Older readers may be able to make the connection regarding the decisions made by the mice, but I feel that younger readers will struggle with this aspect and become confused.
I did greatly enjoy some of the adult humor that was hidden within the illustrations. I love the wording on the city mouse clothing (Swiss, Sharp)! I also loved the illustration of the city mice on their cell phones and tablets. Too funny!
This story is appropriate for children ages 3 through 7.
Country life is not at all what City Mouse had thought it would be. He enjoys attending the jamborees, but cannot stand the food. And all of the peace and quiet is driving him crazy!
Country Mouse decides to head back to Mousetropolis with City Mouse to see what all the excitement is about. Mice are dancing everywhere. Gourmet food is for sale on every corner. But danger also lurks among the crowded streets.
Will City Mouse and Country Mouse ever find the lifestyle that they are looking for?
While I found Christie's illustrations to be whimsical and creative, I found the story to be greatly lacking in substance. The book is titled Mousetropolis, but the reader is suddenly transported to a country setting of unknown origins. The focus of the story is not the city of Mousetropolis, but on the characters of City Mouse and Country Mouse.
I also found the story to be too fast paced. I wish that the book would have been longer and that City Mouse would have tried more things while in the country than just eating and dancing. I feel like there is a great imbalance between the attention given to the City Mouse and Country Mouse characters. The text seems to focus more on City Mouse than Country Mouse.
The story also appeared to end very abruptly. While both mice have decided that they are "home," the reader is left to wonder why they made the choices that they did. Older readers may be able to make the connection regarding the decisions made by the mice, but I feel that younger readers will struggle with this aspect and become confused.
I did greatly enjoy some of the adult humor that was hidden within the illustrations. I love the wording on the city mouse clothing (Swiss, Sharp)! I also loved the illustration of the city mice on their cell phones and tablets. Too funny!
This story is appropriate for children ages 3 through 7.
September 21, 2020
A retelling of Aesop's story "The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse".
City Mouse can't sleep for his noisy neighbors, so he goes to visit his cousin in the country for a quiet vacation. Not a fan of the food he was served, the two walk through the woods to a country dance and have some fun dancing to a jug band, taking care to watch out for the owl on the way home. That night was too hot and quiet for the city mouse. The next day the two jumped onto a train and went back to the city, where there was boombox music everywhere, mice on their devices, and lots of junk food and sweets to eat. They were almost caught by the cat. Both mice decided to return to their own comfy homes.
Christie gives a fresh, updated retelling with nary a spare word. His illustrations in Acryla Gouache are lively and bold, with endearing expressions on the face of each mouse. Readers will feel the wind blowing hard past the two mice as they cling onto the top of the train as it speeds down the tracks on the way to the city. They will relate to the group of mice with eyes down onto phones, tablets, and books. They will want to hear the music and dance in both country and city.
Perfect to add to collections of fractured and other fairy tales or for a mouse-y storytime.
Recommended for PreSchool-grade 2.
City Mouse can't sleep for his noisy neighbors, so he goes to visit his cousin in the country for a quiet vacation. Not a fan of the food he was served, the two walk through the woods to a country dance and have some fun dancing to a jug band, taking care to watch out for the owl on the way home. That night was too hot and quiet for the city mouse. The next day the two jumped onto a train and went back to the city, where there was boombox music everywhere, mice on their devices, and lots of junk food and sweets to eat. They were almost caught by the cat. Both mice decided to return to their own comfy homes.
Christie gives a fresh, updated retelling with nary a spare word. His illustrations in Acryla Gouache are lively and bold, with endearing expressions on the face of each mouse. Readers will feel the wind blowing hard past the two mice as they cling onto the top of the train as it speeds down the tracks on the way to the city. They will relate to the group of mice with eyes down onto phones, tablets, and books. They will want to hear the music and dance in both country and city.
Perfect to add to collections of fractured and other fairy tales or for a mouse-y storytime.
Recommended for PreSchool-grade 2.
October 24, 2019
Mousetropolis by R. Gregory Christie
Mousetropolis is a book about two mice that are cousins. One mouse is from the city and one mouse is from the country. They visit each other and see what the life of the other mouse is like. Each mouse then decides that he likes his own home better than the home of his cousin and in the end they are happy to be in their own home. I think this book would be a good real aloud book for preschool or kindergarten aged children because there isn’t a lot of text per page but the illustrations are detailed with a lot to look at. Because of the minimal amount of text it would be easy for a teacher to memorize the story and be able to really focus on showing the children the illustrations while keeping an eye on what they’re doing. There are also a few pages that have sound effects that would be fun for the teacher to animate for the children. There are also a lot of …’s that add a little bit of suspense to what is happening next which could also be fun for the children. The illustrations would capture the attention of the children well because some are simple and some are busier and most of them have animals which the children would love to look at.
Mousetropolis is a book about two mice that are cousins. One mouse is from the city and one mouse is from the country. They visit each other and see what the life of the other mouse is like. Each mouse then decides that he likes his own home better than the home of his cousin and in the end they are happy to be in their own home. I think this book would be a good real aloud book for preschool or kindergarten aged children because there isn’t a lot of text per page but the illustrations are detailed with a lot to look at. Because of the minimal amount of text it would be easy for a teacher to memorize the story and be able to really focus on showing the children the illustrations while keeping an eye on what they’re doing. There are also a few pages that have sound effects that would be fun for the teacher to animate for the children. There are also a lot of …’s that add a little bit of suspense to what is happening next which could also be fun for the children. The illustrations would capture the attention of the children well because some are simple and some are busier and most of them have animals which the children would love to look at.
November 13, 2017
Teacher – This book can be used to teach about different places and how the country is different from the city. It can demonstrate to the students how not everywhere is the same. As a class we could discuss how life would be different depending on where you live. This could lead to learning about how other countries are different. You could also use this book to compare the differences and similarities between this book and the “Country Mouse City Mouse” book.
Reader- I like the illustrations in the book Mousetropolis. I also really like that it has you think about places that are different than your own. This book can also help you to feel okay about being different.
Reader- I like the illustrations in the book Mousetropolis. I also really like that it has you think about places that are different than your own. This book can also help you to feel okay about being different.
March 9, 2022
I liked the concept of the story very much (I mean, it is an Aesop fable) and the illustrations are good (far better than the cover makes them look), but it felt almost like the art had been completed before the text was written. The text was very awkward and didn’t flow well, not only because of how it was written but because of the thoughts that were included. There were no transitions. It went too quickly from one thing to the next, and nothing that happened in the story had any consequences (what was the point of the owl ominously watching them?), they just decided they preferred their own habitat. Maybe I missed the point, but I did not like this book at all.
November 16, 2016
A modern re-telling of Aesop's fable. I feel like this interpretation loses some of the original meaning. The pair of mice leave the country because of an owl predator; then country mouse leaves the city because of a cat predator. Both predators appear very large and menacing in the illustrations. So the moral of the story becomes: Watch out - there are predators everywhere!
November 26, 2023
We enjoyed this updated version on City Mouse, Country Mouse.
It really felt like some pages were edited out which made the story a bit flat. It was missing that special feeling between close individuals that we got from the original.
It was fun to see different scenery and a few old familiars.
It really felt like some pages were edited out which made the story a bit flat. It was missing that special feeling between close individuals that we got from the original.
It was fun to see different scenery and a few old familiars.
June 21, 2017
A not-very-compelling retelling of City Mouse/Country Mouse.
July 19, 2017
A city mouse and a country mouse explore each other's respective areas to determine which they liked best. Toddler and up.
July 31, 2017
Good paraphrase of Town Mouse Country Mouse and nice full spread illustrations
June 7, 2018
The illustrations in this book are nice. It's basically a retelling of the city mouse / country mouse story.
Kids enjoyed it.
Kids enjoyed it.
March 13, 2019
A retelling of the City Mouse/Country Mouse fable, without much innovation.
June 25, 2019
There is something so classic about this picture book - yet as an adaptation of Aesop's fable, it's also fresh and feels unique. A sweet book, perfect for bedtime.
November 25, 2020
A cute retelling of “City Mouse, Country Mouse.”
August 5, 2021
City Mouse and Country Mouse story with a different feel to it.
November 7, 2021
A redition of the classic country mouse, city mouse tale but simplified to the point of confusion. a 4 year old was very confused and surprised by the sudden ending.
January 25, 2022
The classic fable is brought to life with Gregory Christie’s illustrations.
March 22, 2022
Country Mouse travels to the city to find excitement and finds more than he bargained for.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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December 18, 2022A modern version of city mouse/country mouse.
December 28, 2022
A nice version of a classic story
May 24, 2023
The best part is finding the owl that is watching them throughout the country scenes.
November 18, 2023
Some potential, but overall lacking in flow, with the story not told well.
August 28, 2025
A cute (though perhaps oversimplified) version of the Country Mouse/City Mouse fable.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 63 reviews