The Mousewife

Copyright 1951, 7th printing 1966, hardcover with dustjacket, ex-library, 46 pages. SYNOPSIS: "Story for youth. The mousewife did all the things expected of her -- taking care of the family and gathering food, but she wanted more. When a dove had been caught in the woods and put in a cage, the mousewife found a new friend who told of the world beyond the window. This is a story of a solution based on devotion, sacrifice, and sympathy." CONDITION: Library cardholder/checkout sheet and stamps/notations inside. Dustjacket is enclosed in mylar overlay taped to cover. A few pages have light-orange scribbles. Binding is secure.

Rumer Godden (1907–1998) grew up in India, where her father ran a steamship company. When her husband left her penniless in Calcutta with two daughters to raise, she started to write books to pay off her many debts. She wrote more than sixty books for adults and young adults, including The Doll’s House, Impunity Jane, The Greengage Summer, and An Episode of Sparrows (also published by The New York Review Children’s Collection).

William Pène du Bois (1916–1993) was born in New Jersey to a family of artists and educated mostly in France. A founding editor of The Paris Review, Pène du Bois wrote some twenty-five books, many of which he also illustrated, including The Twenty-One Balloons, winner of the 1948 Newbery Medal.