Marguerite's Fountain - Softcover

Elliot, Rachel

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1857337964 ISBN 13: 9781857337969

Publisher: Hutton Grove, 2016

Synopsis

When Randolph the rat takes over the fountain where Marguerite dances, Benjamin comes up with a plan to get rid of him and let Marguerite dance again.

About this title

About the Author:

Rachel Elliot has been writing stories all her life, and her first book was published in 2004. Since then she has written lots of books for children. She works as a freelance writer and editor, and lives in Devon with her husband and two daughters.

From School Library Journal:

PreS-Gr 2—This title feels like a classic fairy tale—well, except for the critical role played by plumbing. The hero and heroine are cathedral mice; the villain is an oily black rat in a sinister cape. Benjamin, a shy brown mouse, loves to watch Marguerite, an Angelina Ballerina-like white mouse, as she dances around a sparkling churchyard fountain. When Randolph the rat flatters Marguerite into dancing with him, Benjamin senses that the fountain is what he's really after. "But Randolph was big and strong. Benjamin was small and scared. So he said nothing." Ultimately, the rat ignores, belittles, and shouts at the trusting mouse, finally banishing her to an old sewer. This is where Benjamin gathers his courage, braves the dark network of drain pipes, and locates the all-important fountain faucet to save the day. Brown's illustrations raise the level of Elliot's somewhat uneven tale. While the lovable mice and the evil rat are just what you'd hope for, the varied and ingenious perspectives of the cathedral (and its drains) elevate every page. Those who admire the work of Jan Brett will appreciate the outlines and insets as well as the way the text is often tucked into shapes that compose part of the scenery. The fuzzy logic and unenlightened gender roles also seem to be the stuff of traditional fairy tales. However, this is essentially a story of standing up to a bully. VERDICT With its charming art and engaging mice characters, this is a captivating addition.—Susan Weitz, formerly at Spencer-Van Etten School District, Spencer, NY

About this edition

• Publisher: Hutton Grove
• Publication date: 2016
• ISBN 10: 1857337964
• ISBN 13: 9781857337969
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 23
• Illustrator: Brown Petra