Mouse Bird Snake Wolf

Product Information

The narrative alone is a delight to read aloud but the combination of story with illustrations make this work remarkable. It was awarded a Nestlé Smarties Book Prize (Silver Award) and was shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal (2000) and for the Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize.

The story in itself is a wonderfully crafted delight, it’s concept and execution by David Almond is masterful as you would expect, which highlights the impact of the story. There are gaps that haven’t been filled yet – pieces of sky missing, pieces of the earth with nothing in them – just a void hole. They have built mountains, forests, and seas and filled the world with animals, people, and unnamed beasts. Harry, Sue and Little Ben are our main protagonists, who spend their days walking, climbing and exploring this world that is quite like our own – but a little bit unfinished. Mouse Bird Snake Wolf is a 2013 graphic novel, written by David Almond and illustrated by David McKean.His major awards include The Carnegie Medal, two Whitbreads, The Michael L Printz Award, Le Prix Sorcieres, The Nonino International Prize, The James Kruss Award and the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize. Almond’s words and McKean’s artwork blend brilliantly to create a book that is like no other, the words and illustrations seem to dance with one another on the page, they have a fluidity about them that is enchanting, guiding the reader deeper within the story and giving Mouse Bird Snake Wolf its phenomenal power and in my opinion makes this a truly captivating and beautiful read.

After graduating he worked as a teacher for five years before moving to a remote artists’ commune in Norfolk to concentrate on his writing. While I'm not much of an artist or illustration enthusiast, I found myself staring endlessly into Dave Mckean's art while possible class discussion points kept tumbling out of my head.That’s until Harry, Sue and Little Ben begin to fill the gaps of the world: with a mousy thing, a chirpy thing and a twisty legless thing. David Almond's mythological story about children pitching in when the gods got lazy after creation, offers plenty for everyone, youngest to oldest, to discuss. One by one the children conjure, from twigs and leaves and stones, a mousy thing, a chirpy thing, and a twisty legless thing. I would recommend this book because it has good pictures to go along with the story and really let's you see what is going on in the story.

The contorted beauty of McKean's figures and Almond's intense, twisty narrative will keep readers right on the edge of comfort before the clouds clear. Filling this rich tapestry that Dave McKean has expertly woven with a mousy thing, a chirpy thing and a twisty legless thing – but could their imagination and creativity and the lack of supervision from the Gods end in chaos? Only Almond could so clearly show mystical and imaginative acts as physical, and in a story-telling voice that's musical, forward-moving and perfect in its surprises. Like all good fables, this one has multiple interpretive possibilities and moral resonances, in addition to being a compelling story in its own right. In 2010 he received the Hans Christian Andersen Award, the world's most prestigious prize for children's authors.

But their world has gaps in it filled with emptiness, gaps that intrigue Harry, Sue, and little Ben until they begin to see what might fill them. Dave McKean is a world-renowned artist, designer, and film director who has illustrated several books for children, including Coraline , The Day I Swapped My Dad for Two Goldfish , and The Wolves in the Walls , all by Neil Gaiman, and two prior titles by David Almond. However Harry and Sue have got eaten by a wolf because they didn't listen to Little Ben's advice not to make the wolf. To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average.