Mouse

Animal Series

by Georgie Carroll

From Mickey to Jerry, Rizzo to Pinky, mice have played an important role in our childhood tales. Often a heroic figure in culture and fiction―mice are the iconic symbol of Disney and Earth’s intellectually superior race in The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy ―they are also considered one of the human race’s greatest adversaries, responsible for disease and plague. Presenting a natural and cultural history of the mouse, this book explores the large role this diminutive animal plays in both the animal kingdom and human imagination.
           
Examining the evolution, species, habitats, and behaviors of mice, Georgie Carroll reveals that they are accomplished survivors, having colonized six of the world’s continents and even traveled into space. As one of the earth’s smallest prey, the mouse, she shows, represents courage, perseverance, and adaptability. She surveys the depiction of mice in art, myth, literature, and folklore, considering how they are held in divine regard in the Hindu and Buddhist traditions. Carroll also delves into the integral place mice hold within the modern scientific endeavor―that of the laboratory animal. Telling the story of this beguiling creature in rich detail, Mouse is an intriguing look at an animal we have worshipped, tested, slaughtered, loved, and loathed.

Genres: Nonfiction

224 pages, Paperback

First published November 15, 2014

Reviews

[El Rato Pequeño · Rating 4 out of 5]

Difficult to review this without mentioning the earlier Rat from the same series (quite a few cultures don't lexically distinguish between rats and mice), so how much does it overlap? As it turns out, surprisingly little, and it often rather succeeds at updating Rat and filling in some of its gaps instead. Perhaps due to her background in nursing and entertainment rather than zoology, Georgie Carroll writes in an especially breezy and smoothly readable way, and yet doesn't compromise on the rigidity of the factual portion of the book - and although a small number of factoid hiccups did slip through (e.g. the notorious Karni Mata temple in India is populated by rats, not mice) they're minor enough to not make much of a difference in the grand picture.