Mayday Mouse

by Sebastien Braun

When Captain Mouse sets sail on a bright, sunny day with a birthday present for her brother, little does she know the sea-going perils she will have to face!Her cheerful, optimistic nature refuses to be downcast by storms, caves, rocks and shipwrecks. Resourceful and inventive, shes able to save the day - with just a little help from her friends!

Genres: Picture Books, Adventure, Animals, Childrens

32 pages, Paperback

Published June 7, 2016

About the author

"I’m French and studied fine and applied arts at Strasbourg University.
I taught applied arts before becoming a freelance illustrator, first of all for editorial clients in Paris.
When I moved to London in 2000 I developed my illustrations for children and since then have been
working exclusively on children’s picture books.

If you’d like more information about my work, please drop me a line.
I’m a member of the Association of Illustrators."

from http://www.sebastienbraun.com/about

Reviews

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

PreS-K – Captain Mouse wants to deliver her brother’s birthday present in person, so on a seemingly fine day, she sets sail. When "watery perils” turn her trip sour, eventually stranding her on a bit of land, she recalls the advice her friends gave her. Upon shouting “mayday”, they arrive with the materials she needs to build a new boat and complete the crossing. While the story is straightforward, the text and images sometimes jump unevenly from moment to moment; as an example, when the island starts to shrink, it feels like something should happen, but the facing page has Mouse waking up to a passing storm, and the tension remains unused. The flow is further hampered by the writing; sentences sufficiently describe events and should prove easy enough for young readers to work out, but they feel stiff. Despite these detracting factors, the lessons of individual capability and knowing when to ask for help are clear, and the illustrations themselves are rather good looking. Mouse is pretty cute with her rounded snout and blue captain’s hat, and she certainly looks powerless as her walnut ship gets swallowed by all the blue and green filling each page. VERDICT Despite the poor pacing and awkward text, the lessons and illustrations make this one buyable.

*reviewed for School Library Journal

[Audrey Selene · Rating 2 out of 5]

Only read this book to a child who aspires to grow up to be an adrenaline junkie.

I would not read this to my niece, who is two-and-a-half. Or any child who isn't comfortable in a swimming pool. Some pages are quite scary.

The back jacket says Captain Mouse is cheerful, optimistic, resourceful, and inventive. That she's able to save the day with just a little help from her friends. Actually, she had a lot of help from her friends and they are just as resourceful and inventive.

Common sense would have been a lot more useful to teach here. But of course, there would be no book, or a very boring book.

I was originally pleasantly surprised that Captain Mouse is a girl. Having read the back jacket after the story, I don't like the assignment of cheerful and optimistic to Captain Mouse.

Because of the resourcefulness, I'll rate this book two stars.

[Rose Rosetree · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like the illustrations. I like the writing. (Both by Sebastien Braun.)

As Captain Mouse sets sail, her friends cheer her on:

"Watch out for big waves and watery perils."

WATERY PERILS DO ARRIVE

Our intrepid, adventurous Captain Mouse refuses to give up, ever.

When the happy ending comes, it carries just enough of a surprise to satisfy readers like me. Thank you, Sebastien.

[Juliana Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Captain Mouse sets sail on a beautiful day to deliver a birthday gift to her brother. But when the wind blows and capsizes her boat she is stranded on an island. She calls Mayday until two friends come to rescue her. When she finally reaches the other shore to visit her brother, the reader sees that she has only really crossed a small puddle.

[Christine Bark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mayday Mouse is a wonderful children's story about adventure, perseverance & kindness - from anyone's perspective. The illustrations are incredibly cute. The children enjoyed this story very much - thank you!

[Pink · Rating 3 out of 5]

Captain mouse is setting out to deliver a present to her brother on the other side of the water. Can she make it through the danger ahead by herself?

Cute, quick story. The end page gave me a little laugh.

[Danielle Jernigan · Rating 5 out of 5]

The plot is adorable, and Captain Mouse sets a good example for how to handle challenges resourcefully. It was nice to read that Captain Mouse was a girl. My son is interested in books about vehicles, but usually they are driven by boys.

[Miss Clark · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars

Artwork was cute and colourful, but it was a bit too wordy for the target age group.

[Ayren Daniels]

Story about not giving up and asking for help when you need it. Has a surprise funny ending.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Who knew that a birthday celebration and delivering a present to someone would be so hard to do? In this picture book from the United Kingdom, Captain Mouse sets off on a voyage to spend the day with her brother. After all, it's his birthday, and she has a present for him. But her walnut shell boat capsizes during unexpected storms and turbulence. Although things look dismal at points, the intrepid animal never gives up or becomes discouraged, and as soon as she recovers from her near-drowning experience, she summons her friends. With the help of Dragonfly and Frog, she builds another boat, and sails on. The last page shows everyone singing "Happy Birthday!" to her brother, but what is most amusing is just how small the body of water Captain Mouse has crossed actually is, and how what appeared to be a lengthy journey turns out to be far closer than readers had imagined. Still, despite the perils being less than might be imagined, readers will admire Captain Mouse's resilience, determination and irrepressible personality.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very cute story of a little mouse going on a "sailing adventure".

[Cindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cute really liked it

[Danette · Rating 3 out of 5]

My 5-yr old like tracing the Mouse's path across the pond.

5/1/17 read with Naomi & Julia.

[Patricia N. McLaughlin · Rating 2 out of 5]

A bit too predictable, especially the "watery perils," though the messages about resourcefulness and friendship are worth the read; the tiny heroine and her friends are well drawn with kid appeal.