Mouseboat

by Larissa Theule, Abigail Halpin (Illustrator)

A lyrical, soothing story about new beginnings, even in the darkest times, Mouseboat is a powerful tribute to finding your way home again.

The wind is your voice.
You whisper to me.

A young girl feels lost after the death of her mother. Dad tries his best to manage everything alone, but things just aren't the same. When they take a trip to their lake house, the girl longs to feel a connection to her mom, and so she takes out the small mouseboat that she and her mom built together. And somehow, in the wind and the rain, protected by the mouseboat, she finds her mother's love.

Genres: Picture Books, Grief, Death, Family, Childrens, Emotion

40 pages, Hardcover

Published March 28, 2023

About the author

Larissa Theule lives with her family in Southern California.

Reviews

[Khurin W. F. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mouseboat menceritakan Faye, seorang anak yang berduka karena ibunya meninggal. Ayahnya mencoba menggantikan peran sang ibu, tapi Faye merasa semuanya tidak lagi sama. Dia sangat ingin merasa terhubung dengan ibunya, tetapi tidak menemukan itu di rumahnya. Akhirnya, dia menaiki perahu kecil yang ia buat dengan ibunya dan mendayungnya ke tengah danau. Berteman dengan deburan ombak itu ia merasa dekat dengan ibunya, seolah dia mendengar suaranya. Hal itu yang membuat dia menemukan kembali cara untuk 'pulang'.

Bagiku, buku ini suasanya cenderung sendu. Ilustrasinya pun seolah ingin menggambarkan perasaan berkecamuk Faye melalui ombak yang bergulung-gulung dan petir yang menyambar. Pun dengan warna-warna yang gelap. Dari Faye kita juga bisa melihat betapa kompleksnya rasa kehilangan. Faye tidak kehilangan ayahnya, bahkan sang ayah pun selalu hadir untuknya, tetapi dia tidak bisa membuat dirinya baik-baik saja.

Namun, meskipun cenderung sendu, buku ini diakhiri dengan adegan yang menghangatkan, yang memunculkan kembali sebuah harapan.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Maria]

Read for RCLS Mock Caldecott...

In this moving picture book about grief, the illustrations play an important role in creating an atmosphere of sadness, loneliness, and emptiness. Halpin expertly uses color and perspective to evoke these feelings. There's a lot to look at on each page, and the details in each illustration (family photos and cards, paintings that look like the setting, the character's father hovering in the background) make the character and story seem more real. This also adds to the emotional punch of the plot.

All in all, this is certainly a contender for a honor for me. The illustrations didn't blow me completely out of the water, though, so I can't put this in the "distinguished" winner category.

[Sherrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A young girl who is struggling with the loss of her mother searches for her voice on the water. Beautiful illustrations with dark colors add to the somber nature of the book. This could be a helpful book for a young child experiencing grief or loss.

[Patricia N. McLaughlin · Rating 3 out of 5]

A grieving girl finds solace in nature as she seeks to connect and communicate with the spirit of her mother. Colorful illustrations depict her journey from despair to through her epic solo voyage to the safe harbor of her father’s loving arms.

[Panda Incognito · Rating 4 out of 5]

This picture book is about a girl and her father who go to their vacation cabin for the first time since the mother died. The illustrations and text focus on the girl's emotions as she misses her mother and longs to feel connected with her, and the story is simple and powerful without feeling sentimental or offering an unrealistic level of resolution.

I would have liked an explanation of the book's title and why the girl and her mother named their rowboat the Mouseboat, and I think that the title could better convey the book's theme for people who are looking for something like this. Nonetheless, this is a powerful book about grieving a parent.

[Holly Wagner · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75 Stars. Such a stunningly beautiful book. Hold tight, you will cry. I imagine this in our school psychologists room or possible in a sub-collection in the library with other SEL books in the category of Death. Or Loss of a parent. The illustrations are brilliant.

I wish it was longer and said more. I wish it had given a bit more guidance for finding home again.

[Dave Schaafsma · Rating 4 out of 5]

The quiet is so loud. I don't hear you at all in here.

A sweet picture book featuring a little girl, Faye, and her Dad, returning to their lake house, where--in a kind of metaphorical or maybe also actual storm--a ride in her and her mom's "mouseboat" helps the girl to reconnect to her mother: The wind is your voice. You whisper to me.

You're going to be okay. Be brave. I love you.

Dad wades into the water to come to his daughter, clutching the quilt that smells like mom.

I am home.

[Janet · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn’t recognize this author’s name, however, I had previously read her title, Concrete From the Ground Up. This title is a huge departure from the nonfiction title regarding concrete that I found fascinating. This one depicts a young girl grieving for her deceased mother and finally realizing her father is there for her.

[Marcie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Subtitle: "Even when you're lost in a storm, you can find home again" may give a clue to this book in which a child confronts her grief. I can see pairing it with other books to help children discuss, particularly in a one on one session.

[Jessica · Rating 1 out of 5]

A little girl going out on a lake in a robot during a storm is fool, hearty and dangerous. The girl thinks she can go searching for her mother's voice now that she is dead. It is very sad to me how desperate people are who don't have hope in Jesus and the resurrection.

[Susan Dunn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little girl and her father go to their summer cabin. It's their first visit since her mother's death, and nothing is the same. Can she find her mother's voice in the place they both loved best?

[Bridgid Sauter]

A young girl is missing her mother, and goes through a range of emotions, culminating in an angry storm in a boat. While the emotions are raw, the underlying story is very subtle.

[A · Rating 4 out of 5]

Melancholy, beautiful, and sad. Lovely art. Hope after grief.

[LS Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simple, moving;

[Sandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A moving picture book about a girl grieving her mother. Very touching, but might be too sad for younger readers.

[Thomas Bell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good book about dealing with loss. I was very impressed with the father. Though the name of the book was kind of weird - why did they call the boat Mouseboat?

[Y.Poston]

a delightful exploration of child's grief after
losing a parent

[Michael Guillot · Rating 3 out of 5]

bringing the quilt out onto the lake is insane and borderline goofy ass behavior

[Joleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great reminder to allow individuals to grieve in their own time and space. Beautiful illustration.

[Michelle Smith-Palmer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautiful story that illustrates the relationship with loss that children who have lost a parent feel throughout their childhood. The author, Theule, expresses the feelings of losing a loved one by describing seeing and feeling them in everyday activities in sad but touching ways. The main character, Faye, feels her mother in the wind, sees her in the chair her mother sat in, and one night takes a boat ride out to find her mother in the lake where they used to boat together.

This book compassionately brings out the emotions that may be felt when we grieve the loss of loved ones. Theule's descriptions of feelings that Faye felt in just ordinary activities, such as, when she missed her mother and almost could see her sitting in her chair at home, or feel her in the wind, are simply but profoundly described. At times the reader may feel afraid and then feel encouraged by Faye's brave trek to boat out on her own to find a connection with her mother. The reassurance of Faye's father's embrace when he finds her safe is a touching end to the story. The illustrations are filled with warmth because of the choice of deep, yet sometimes dark, colors. There is also motion captured in the illustrations that connect the reader to the journey as though the reader is also moving along with Faye. This book is recommended as a great way to encourage discussion about loss with children who are experiencing it or will in the future.

[Christie Kaaland · Rating 5 out of 5]

A young girl's poignant poetic tribute to her deceased mother in this nearly wordless, powerfully illustrated picture book. As she struggles to "hear" from her mother, she seeks places and items that will help her connect with her mother. Finally she takes their (mother and daughter) small boat, Mouseboat, out on the water during a stormy sea and makes the connection she seeks. And her father is there at the shoreline waiting to comfort her. Lovely yet powerful illustrations by Abigail Halpin enhance the story.