Amos & Boris

Wonderful story..but the condition of the book itself is very poor..dirty, stained, dog eared...I ordered and expected the very good condition..was to be a gift

Even a little child can make a difference! This is one of the most empowering concepts for a young child to grasp. It is the message at the heart of this story. When Boris the whale saves Amos the mouse from drowning at sea, we are happy to see a creature so big, helping one so little. But later, when the mouse is able to return the favor by saving the beached whale, we cheer him on! Steig's prose is rich and draws you into the story. He gives us a phosphorescent sea, an immense starry sky, and a mouse's quivering daintiness. Artfully done as well, are his presentation of some very grown-up concepts: having ambitions in life, returning a favor, what happens when we die, and central to the story...having to move on and say goodbye to a dear friend. My son and I enthusiastically recommend this book!

Most folks are familiar with William Steig for having written Shrek. But there is soooo much more. "Dominic" and "Amos and Boris" were two of the most memorable books from my childhood. I received tham as gifts from my parents and read and re-read them countless times. I had long since lost my copies from childhood but ordered new when I read that the author had passed away. I approached reading them with great trepidation as I feared that they would not live up to my memory of them. I should not have worried! I decided to read "Amos & Boris" first as "Dominic" was my absolute favorite. I figured if I did not feel the same magic, I would avoid re-reading "Dominic" so as not to diminsh my recollection. So one afternoon, after arriving home from work, I sat down with "Amos & Boris" and began to read it out loud. By the time I was 3 pages from the end of the book, I was weeping. These books are special beyond words and I hope that William Steig understood how much beauty he brought into the world writing them.

I love this book, and feel that William Steig is one of the most underrated and insightful children's authors. I have asked many people who have children that I know whether they have read any of his books, and the usual answer I receive is "no". What literature they have been missing out on! My son really enjoys this book, and it is one of the first books with a substantial amount of text on each page that I have been able to convince him to sit still to hear (he's almost three). The story of a mouse and whale who find solace in a most unlikely friendship is charming and very applicable to human relationships. I think this book can teach children that friendship can be found in a people who are not necessarily like ourselves...and that these friendships are often some of the most important and profound in our lives. Hopefully, children will take away from this book the message that not everyone is the same, and that so much can be valued and gained from finding friends in those who are different from all the rest.

This book is so charming and original and to top it off it is so poignant it almost brought tears to my eyes. The language is lyrical and the story is whimsical yet it explores issues such as lifelong friendship and our interconnectness. The mouse, Amos, heads off to sea and is so overwhelmed by its beauty and the feeling of oneness with creation that he rolls right off his boat and has to be saved by a friendly whale, Boris. Amos hopes he can repay his friend someday although it is hard to imagine how a little mouse could help a big powerful whale. Sure enough Amos will get his moment! This book is great for a range of ages and will delight both parents and children.

As far as I am concerned, William Steig should be given a Pulitzer Prize for his body of children's literature. I don't think any one author/illustrator has such a catalog of playful, meaningful, generous, witty, profound and literate books for young people. Amos and Boris is a distillation of all the great themes of life: friendship, courage, spiritual ecstacy, the question of an afterlife ("Would his soul go to heaven? Would there be any mice there?"), altruism and love. As weighty as these issues are, they are simply part of the fabric of the wonderful story; there is nothing ponderous or cobbed on, no subtext. Steig's genius lies in his ability to create stories that appeal equally to small children, and to their parents and grandparents -- they ring that true on all levels. The characters in this little book have become a part of my heart, as has William Steig. Don't miss it.