The Field Mouse and the Dinosaur Named Sue - Hardcover

Wahl, Jan; Scholastic Inc.; Field Museum Of Natural History

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0439099846 ISBN 13: 9780439099844

Publisher: Cartwheel Books, 2000

Synopsis

When the dinosaur bone that is his roof is excavated, a field mouse tries to reclaim it by following it into a crate which ends up at the Field Museum in Chicago, and there the mouse watches as Sue, the most complete T. Rex fossil ever found, is assembled.

About this title

Review:

Field Mouse leads a quiet, contented life in his burrow under an old bone. But one day he starts hearing strange scritching noises outside. Peering out, he sees people with shovels and picks digging gently in a nearby bluff. What's going on? Field Mouse scurries out to explore. Later, when he returns to his cozy home, he finds that his bone is gone! This intrepid little fellow sets out on a mission to reclaim his roof. His search leads him to a strange place called The Field Museum of Chicago, where, lonely and frightened, he scampers around, evading vacuum cleaners and scientists, and always seeking his beloved bone. Finally, one day, Field Mouse comes across the biggest Tyrannosaurus rex in the world, 67 million years old--and his bone! The determined homebody settles right in to his new quarters--right under the T-rex's toes!

A clever idea with a somewhat dull presentation, this story will certainly inspire flights of fancy and interest in the ever fascinating great dinosaurs. Based on the true story of the largest, most complete T-rex ever found, this version is given a fanciful treatment and original point of view by award-winning author Jan Wahl. Bob Doucet's illustrations utilize compelling perspectives, but are somewhat lackluster. Wahl has written more than 100 books for children, including The Singing Geese. (Ages 4 to 8) --Emilie Coulter

From School Library Journal:

PreSchool-Grade 2-Field Mouse's peaceful home in South Dakota is disrupted when archaeologists take the bone that serves as his roof to Chicago's Field Museum of Natural History, where the little mouse also ends up after following a cheese sandwich into a packing crate. He gradually adjusts to his new environs and finally finds his bone again in the foot of Sue, the spectacular T. rex now on exhibit. This playful treatment of size, scale, and perspective is just one of this book's engaging features. Field Mouse himself is an endearing character, and the colossal goings-on around him never completely overshadow his own small but important quest, his search for a home. Wahl gracefully weaves facts with fiction, supplying interesting tidbits about prehistoric life. The soft colors and earth tones in the simple, realistic paintings are as straightforward as the conversational text. The human figures are occasionally a bit stiff, but overall the pictures work well. Best of all, both story and artwork keep child appeal uppermost in mind.
Lauralyn Persson, Wilmette Public Library, IL
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Cartwheel Books
• Publication date: 2000
• ISBN 10: 0439099846
• ISBN 13: 9780439099844
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 32
• Illustrator: Doucet Bob