Reviews

Alexander and the Wind-Up Mouse by Leo Lionni

bookdingo's review against another edition

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5.0

D'awww

booksnwhiskey's review against another edition

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4.0

Written in 1969 and it won a Caldecott Honor Medal. The book is in the point of view of a mouse, who at first seems like he might be a bit selfish. However at the end he chooses his friendship with a wind-up mouse over himself and they both end up as winners!

calistareads's review against another edition

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4.0

The cover makes me laugh. We see a mouse inside a Russian Doll, but that picture is never in the story. It is cute though. This is a story about being ok with who you are.

Alexander is a lonely mouse who is always chased away. He finds a wind up mouse he befriends named Willie. Willie is very loved by the little girl in the house. Willie sleeps in a warm bed and played with. Alexander thinks he wants to be a wind-up mouse like Willie so he’s not so lonely. One Day, he finds Willie in a discard box. The girl got new toys and Willie was out. There is also a magic Lizard in the story and Alexander was going to become a wind-up mouse. It’s a nice ending. Sweet.

Leo Lionni wins this award quite a bit. I like this story and the art work is simply, but nice.

The nephew thought this was a good story. He thought of the wind-up mouse as a robot and he wanted to make one. He gave this 4 stars. The niece was in a mood last night and she didn’t want to read anything. She listened to the story and then gave this 1 star. I think she would like this story if she hadn’t been in a place. It happens.

melaniegaum's review against another edition

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5.0

One of my favorite Leo Lionni stories as a kid, and it holds up well. Cute friendship between a real mouse and a wind-up one.

yangyvonne's review against another edition

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4.0

A sweet story about lonely Alexander who uses a wish to gain a friend!

pussreboots's review against another edition

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5.0

Leo Lionni was a Dutch artist who grew up in Italy but fled to the United States at the outbreak of WWII. There he worked as a graphic artist and illustrator for Fortune Magazine. He returned to Italy in the 1960s where he began a new career as the writer and illustrator of children's literature. On of his earliest books is Alexander and the Wind-Up Mouse.

Alexander and the Wind-Up Mouse is an old childhood favorite of mine. Alexander is a mouse who lives in the wall of a home that has a little girl. One of her favorite toys is a wind up mouse named Willy. Alexander and Willy strike up a friendship that is slowly tainted by Alexander's jealousy over Willy's popularity. In the end though Alexander comes to rescue of Willy.

For the choice of a wind-up mouse and for the theme of the transformational powers of love, I am reminded of Russell Hoban's novel The Mouse and His Child. Lionni's book is a nice introduction to the much longer children's novel.

Leo Lionni's illustrations are similar to Eric Carl's. My children also have A Color of His Own, a book I'm surprised I haven't reviewed on this blog.

heypretty52's review against another edition

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5.0

What a lovely little tale of friendship.

kyrstin_p1989's review against another edition

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3.0

Very cute tale!

kesterbird's review against another edition

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5.0

Stand-out illustrations, sweet story, no complaints

beecheralyson's review against another edition

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4.0

Sweet tale of friendship between a real mouse and a wind-up mouse