The Little Drummer Mouse

Mercer Mayer wrote and illustrated his first book in 1967 when I was 9. I don't know how I missed his writing until recently. My daughter-in-law introduced me to the Little Critter books. We are amassing quite a collection of his books. I love Christmas stories, so when I saw this one, I ordered it. This is a beautiful story that he dedicated to his first grandchild. The story is similar to the little drummer boy, but it tells of a tiny mouse, whose mother made him a drum out of a hollowed out acorn so that she wouldn't lose him. . . The ART WORK is TOTALLY AMAZING! Although the costumes of the animals and people remind me of the dark ages instead of the time of Christ, the depth of his illustrations is amazing... You can look and look and continue to "find" hidden objects, people, and objects of interest. The depth of the barn scene is incredible! Front and foremost is the little mouse with some carpentry tools to give scale to the size of the mouse, then the donkey and chicken, then the back of Mary, the side of the manger, the faces of the wise men, the crowd behind the wise men, and trailing off in the distance are the line of visitors hurrying to the stable. The Star of Bethlehem is visible through the open door of the barn loft. The next page shows the glitter of the gold and jewels brought by the wise men in contrast to the rough hewn logs of the stable, and the gift of eggs by a peasant woman. His people and animals are very realistic. The story is beautiful, but I would recommend it just for the art. I am so glad that I got it!

I purchased this book as a Christmas present for my five year old great niece, so I have not given it to her yet. I love the illustrations and think she will too!