Horace and Morris But Mostly Dolores

Three young mice—Horace, Morris and Dolores—go everywhere together; they are "the greatest of friends, the truest of friends, the now-and-forever-I'm-yours sort of friends." Walrod makes a show-stopping debut with acrylic-and-cut-paper collages that show the brave trio raiding a milky bowl of cereal and in a circus ring riding on a cat's back toward a flaming hoop in accompaniment to the text: "They dared to go where no mouse had gone before." But the fun stops when Horace and Morris join the boys-only Mega-Mice club. "What kind of place doesn't allow girls?" Dolores wonders, standing alone outside the boys' stronghold. She goes next door to meet the all-girl Cheese Puffs, pictured in a sugary-pink cottage with a heart-shaped window. They sip tea, strategize on "How to Get a Fella Using Mozzarella," and look askance when Dolores proposes that they build a "Roque-fort." However, Dolores finds a kindred spirit in Chloris, and the two found a third, all-inclusive group with a much-relieved Horace and Morris (and a fifth mouse named Boris). In lighthearted prose, Howe, author of the Bunnicula and Pinky and Rex books, points out that "girl" and "boy" behavior need not be mutually exclusive and pokes fun at the ways gender roles needlessly impose limits and derail friendships. Walrod amplifies Howe's tribute to the ebb and flow of enduring friendship with paintings of the bipedal, childlike mice divided at the crossroads to the two single-sex clubs and united at the entrance to a cave in the closing adventure. Readers can only hope this is just the beginning for Horace, Morris and Dolores. Ages 4-8. (Mar.)

Copyright 1999 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission

K-Gr 3-While this picture book has a decidedly hip, quirky look, Howe's sensitivity and sensibility are clearly in evidence. It's an entertaining story about how a group of children (who happen to be mice) find a way to have fun together, in spite of peer pressure. Although they enjoy shared adventures, a trio breaks up when Horace and Morris decide "A boy mouse must do what a boy mouse must do" and join a boys-only club. Dolores soon finds a club for girls, but the friends miss playing together. When Dolores becomes bored by the (literally) cheesy projects the girls choose, she rebels. She invites the boys to join her exploring and they eagerly accompany her. Inventive acrylics feature funky collages and unusual perspectives. The diagrams for a mousetrap ("How To Get A Fella Using Mozzarella") are truly hilarious. Cool rodent cave art and entertaining snapshots of the fearless friends round out Walrod's amusing interpretation of the text. Make room on your shelves for Dolores and her pals.-Lisa Dennis, The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, PA

Copyright 1999 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission