The Mouse and His Child
The Mouse and His Child is a novel by Russell Hoban first published in 1967. It has been described as "a classic of children's literature and is the book for which Hoban is best known." It was adapted into an animated film in 1977. A new edition with new illustrations by David Small was released in 2001.
The mouse and child of the title are a pair of toy mice, joined by the hands and operated by clockwork. The story tells of their beginning in a toy store, their purchase and eventual discarding, their pursuit by a malicious rat, and their quest to become self-winding.
The story shares commonalities with E.B. White's Charlotte's Web by contrasting with a large part of children's literature in the sense of occasional use of advanced vocabulary, a willingness to include adult themes, and talking animals.
