Alexander and the Magic Mouse

by Martha Sanders and Philippe Fix

Book Overview

The only how-to-write book that has nothing to do with writing. It's all about rewriting. Kindle version.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0828150060
• ISBN13: 9780828150064
• Release Date: January 1969
• Publisher: American Heritage Press
• Length: 42 Pages
• Weight: 0.54 lbs.

Customer Reviews

PROBABLY ONE OF THE BEST CHILDREN'S BOOKS OF ALL TIME

Alexander and the Magic Mouse by Martha Sanders and illustrated by Philippe Fix is probably one of the most beloved children's books to come out of the 1970s. It was rather magical then and it has not lost one bit of that magic over the years. The story starts with the introduction of an Old Lady who lives on top of a hill which is the only hill for miles around. The house is very, very Victorian; a comfortable house, one that we would all love to live in. It overlooks the village from its vantage point high on the hill. We are then introduced to the pets, or companions the Old Lady keeps in her house. There is Brindle London Squatting Cat, a Magical Mouse, who can turn invisible at will, an Alligator from China named Alexander and a Yak from Tibet. The story goes on to tell us something of the life these four individuals leave and is just full of odd little tidbits. We learn of the habits of the sometime invisible mouse and her short lines of wisdom. We see the lazy cat, Brindle London Squatting Cat in his attempts to catch the invisible mouse and learn of Yak Butter, which the people of Tibet love to put in their tea, and of course Alexander the Alligator from China, who practices smiling in front of the mirror so people will not be afraid of him. Each and every one of these animals, including the Old Lady, is instantly loveable. I would love to have a Brindle London Squatting Cat or a Yak in my living room! This is overall the story of how these four friends saved the village from a horrible flood after the Magical Mouse told the Old Lady that it was going to rain for 30 days nonstop. The text of this work is absolutely quirky and delightful. The word play and subdued with can be found on every page. Smooth flowing and mellow, it is quite captivating. I seldom find a children's book with this sort of sophistication that the little ones can actually understand. But this is only half of it! The illustrations in this book are absolute works of art. They are extremely detailed and very, very well executed! You can spend hours just examining the subdued colors and details; go back the next day and find something you overlooked the day before. This is one of those books that we simply cannot allow to disappear. It is far superior to the great majority of children's books that we find on the shelves of book stores today. If you take a close look at the other reviews here, you will find that this book is near and dear to the heart of many folks long past their childhood who have very fond memories of this particular work. This is one of the best and if you can find a copy, by all means buy it and hang on to it...your kids will thank you for it! Don Blankenship The Ozarks

My favorite childhood picture book!

I got this book at age 6 from the Weekly Reader book club, and have loved it ever since. I'm now a Kindergarten teacher, and read it to my class during our weather unit. My favorite illustration is in the middle of the book, which just features the grand old Victorian house in the rain - wow! It's also a beautiful story about trusting each other to do the right thing. An unhearalded classic!

My All Time Favorite Childrens Book!

I Love This Book! I Would read it over and over when I was a child. The story of the old lady and all of the animals she invited to live with her (among them an aligator named Alexander) is wonderful. The illustrations are fabulous and I can picture them to this day. Unfortunatly, I lent my copy to a "friend" several years ago to read to her grandson and never got it back. I am currently looking for a copy. I really hope I can find one so I can read it to my children some day.

Oustanding

This is one of the best childrens books that I have ever read. It was a favorite as a child and still is as an adult. I would reccommend it to anyone.

Super!

This is my all-time favorite childhood book. Whenever we couldn't go out and play because it was raining, I would read this book. The illustrations are wonderful. To this day, I still want to try tea with some yak butter.