David Almond

There is never a time that this book wouldn't be relevant...and yet that's not exactly reassuring. It speaks to readers about war and how impossible it seems to be at ends with an entire people. How can the acts of one condemn them all? How can someone that looks just like you or me, be the enemy? How can we create things that cause utter destruction to end wars and not think of the consequences of using that force? It will raise a lot of questions, and answer several of them too, but it show more also passes on a message of peace, a message to look for the other solutions before turning to such a final act.


**ARC received for review; opinions are my own show less

Part picture-book, part graphic novel, this lovely little volume from British author/illustrator team David Almond and Dave McKean imagines a world whose creation is incomplete. A lazy pantheon of gods lounges about on the clouds, admiring what they have created, while empty places exist in the world down below. Three children - Harry, Sue and Ben - take a hand at completing their world, each of them creating a new creature: Ben a mouse, Sue a bird, and Harry a snake. Their last creation show more however - a wolf - proves rather problematic, as he swallows Harry and Sue whole, leaving it to Ben to un-create him. Things are not so simple however, and the narrative concludes with a hint that the wolf won't stay un-created for long...

Almond and McKean have teamed up on other titles - The Savage, Slog's Dad - but Mouse Bird Snake Wolf is the first of their joint projects I have picked up. I am so glad I did, as I found it quite a thought-provoking little book. The writing is spare but powerful, the artwork intense and compelling, the final product an interesting meditation on the nature of creation. Is it complete? (obviously not in this world). Do we (human beings) have a role to play, in completing it? What is creation? And can things be unmade, once they are made? What is the relationship between the divine and the human? Between the creator and the created? Does the creator become his creation? These are all questions raised by the story here, remaining open-ended, as they should. The only thing here I didn't like, was the use of the figure of the wolf, as these creatures are so often (unjustly) vilified in story, standing in for our fears about the natural world. Of course, one could argue that since the wolf comes from a human figure in the story, its negative connotations are brought to life by humanity, rather than by any innate wolfiness, but again, the narrative here complicates ideas of creator/creation. Recommended to readers looking for more philosophical children's books. show less

I really enjoyed this book. It didn't take long for me to become completely enthralled into the world seen through Michael's eyes. There were so many moments that kept pulling me into the plot. Many of those moments for me involved all the weird details about Skellig that kept piling up with only vague explanations. David Almond did a great job of steadily giving the reader pivotal information that created a nice pacing effect. The pacing of the actions, characteristics, conflicts, and show more fantasy symbols not only revealed information that built and carried the plot through it's journey, but it also did a great job at building tension effectively. This was also apparent in the way that Almond never describes things for too long. Despite this, it was still very easy for me to vividly imagine the spaces and subjects given in each moment. His descriptions were short, to the point, and beautiful, often moving along quickly through a change in action or beat. This was effective in making me relate to Michael's changing world. Everything seemed to be moving so fast in the plot, which is exactly how it must've felt for Michael to be experiencing all of that at once. All the shifts in beats and settings allowed me to not get caught up in trying to figure out all the mystical details. The way this story doesn't spend too much time explaining it's growing fantasy elements, made me feel more comfortable with the unknown as something to experience instead of understand. The story deliberately ends with not telling you what Skellig is, but instead it implies that he could be anyone of the things you might imagine him to be. That was one of my favorite moments, along with the part where Mina and Michael whisper to each other about Skellig, while Mina's mom sings a song heavily rooted with symbolism involving their mysterious friend. Mina was my favorite character. I loved the balance between her scientific knowledge and logical thinking, paired with Michael's dreamy thoughts and lively imagination. It had a slight effect of feeling like the story was subtly blending fantasy and sci-fi. As soon as Mina was introduced, it felt like she was going to be a big part of unfolding the plot, and she definitely was. Mina and Michael both learned from each other and changed their lives in the process. I absolutely loved this book and would recommend it to anyone. show less

at the risk of fan-girling over David Almond....

really? why hasn't everyone read this?

Mina is wickedly smart, funny and delightfully freakish. a testament to the glory of fringe-dwelling and the evils of the public school system.

this book, along with Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli ought to be required reading for all pre-teen girls who and every woman who was one.

well - maybe not so much for the Beautiful People...you just wouldn't understand.