Mouse Bird Snake Wolf

Product Information

David Almond is the author of Skellig, Bone Music, Island, The Savage, The Tightrope Walkers, A Song for Ella Grey, The Dam, The Colour of the Sun, and many other novels, stories, picture books, opera librettos, songs and plays. His work incorporates drawing, painting, photography, collage, found objects, digital art and sculpture. Mouse Bird Snake Wolf is one of the most beautifully constructed graphic novels I have ever had the opportunity to read.

Even I struggled to understand the story that was intentionally 'written on many levels' as described by CLPE. Mouse Bird Snake Wolf is a 2013 graphic novel, written by David Almond and illustrated by David McKean. You could say that this is Almond and McKean's most beautiful effort yet, but just know that beautiful has its own dark and wondrous meaning in their hands. Filling this rich tapestry that Dave McKean has expertly woven with a mousy thing, a chirpy thing and a twisty legless thing – but could their imagination and creativity and the lack of supervision from the Gods end in chaos? This has a good moral and will be a great lesson to those who think they can overpower others as well as a great read!

A play, Wild Girl, Wild Boy, was published in March 2002, and a stage version of Skellig was published in April 2002 to coincide with the National Theatre’s production of the play. You can change your choices at any time by visiting Cookie preferences, as described in the Cookie notice. McKean’s illustrations appear in books by authors such as Neil Gaiman, David Almond, Ray Bradbury and Stephen King to name a few. This was followed by The Boy Who Swam with Piranhas (2012) a children’s book illustrated by Oliver Jeffers, Mouse Bird Snake Wolf (2013) with illustrator Dave McKean, A Song for Ella Grey (2014) and The Tightrope Walker (2014), a novel for young adults, and The Colour of the Sun (2018).

I loved it a lot and am giving it 4 stars because there were moments when I was uncertain of the motivations. With days spent boasting about their creation and sleeping in the clouds, they leave their creation to fend for itself, parents turning a blind eye for a moments peace – but at what cost?In the end, the Gods decide to make Mice, Birds and snakes but they think Wolves should not be made. I don't want to rate it a 5 because there wasn't enough writing in it so there wasn't enough information. The final picture within this graphic novel for me sums up my thoughts about the meaning of the book – lurking in the darkness we see two red eyes staring up at the world the Gods created, waiting for its time to surface…again! I'd recommend it to any junior school pupil, and I'd certainly recommend it to colleagues and friends who are teachers. There is the fable like quality to Mouse Bird Snake Wolf which can be found in many of Almond’s works – in particular I found it interesting that the last thing that the children create given that they were free to make anything they wanted was a monstrous wolf.

Aber die Geschichte, die mit Langeweile und Ausprobieren beginnt und dann eben - trotz des Eingreifens der Götter - nicht wirklich ein happy-end hat, sondern wo die Früchte des eigenen Tuns, in diesem Fall Erfindens bzw.Harry, Sue and Little Ben when faced with these empty spaces and realising that the Gods are taking a well earned nap or a cup of tea and cake or boasting about their accomplishments the group decide to fill these gaps. The story in itself is a wonderfully crafted delight, it’s concept and execution by David Almond is masterful as you would expect, which highlights the impact of the story.

I liked little Ben best because he was very clever when they were making the wolf as he hid up the tree.David Almond is the winner of the 2010 Hans Christian Andersen Award, the most prestigious award in international children's literature. Despite being incredibly positive with my class of 30 children only 21 children are enjoying some of it, 8 don't get it and haven't enjoyed it at all. Mouse Bird Snake Wolf has also been reviewed by Booklist, [4] Library Media Connection magazine, [4] The Horn Book Magazine, [4] The School Library Journal, [4] Reading Time, [5] and The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books. In my opinion Mouse Bird Snake Wolf is a precious gift to the world – a quick read but one you will never forget.