The Great Diamond Robbery

Harris, Leon A.

ISBN 10: 0689311885 ISBN 13: 9780689311888

Publisher: Atheneum, 1985

Synopsis

Maurice the French mouse takes up residence in an American department store and repays their hospitality by foiling a diamond robbery

About this title

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 2 In his third adventure, Maurice, a French mouse visiting America, settles in Neiman-Marcus because he feels great department stores "are the palaces of America." When he witnesses the robbery of a two-million dollar diamond necklace, he tries to tell the chief security officer, but the officer pursues him. Fortunately, the vacationing chairman, Maurice's friend, returns and puts all to rights. Despite its title, the focus of the story is as much a mouse's eye-view of a large store rather than the robbery itself, which is flat and predictable. The present tense narration seems awkward and almost a conscious attempt to make the story sound like a translation (a la De Brunhoff). Schindelman's pen-and-ink and watercolor illustrations are attractive and humorous although sometimes ambiguousthe security guard chasing Maurice up the escalator can be identified only through the process of elimination. Unfortunately the two-page spreads sometime lose their centers in the gutter and appear distorted. Eve Titus' "Anatole" stories (McGraw-Hill) are far more satisfying. Don Freeman's Corduroy (Viking, 1968) and Gail Gibbons' Department Store (Crowell, 1984) should fill any need to cover department stores for the picture book crowd. Louise L. Sherman , Anna C. Scott School, Leonia, N.J.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Atheneum
• Publication date: 1985
• ISBN 10: 0689311885
• ISBN 13: 9780689311888
• Binding: Library Binding
• Number of pages: 38
• Illustrator: Schindelman Joseph