Mr. Postmouse’s Rounds by Marianne Dubuc (review)

Abstract

Reviewed by: Mr. Postmouse’s Rounds by Marianne Dubuc Jeannette Hulick Dubuc, Marianne Mr. Postmouse’s Rounds; written and illus. by Marianne Dubuc; tr. from the French by Yvette Ghione. Kids Can, 2015 26p ISBN 978-1-77138-572-5 $17.95 R 4-6 yrs Mr. Postmouse makes many deliveries: a sugar cube for the Ants; a couple of pairs of roller skates for Mrs. Turtle; and a slightly unsettling package (a fox’s legs, snout, and tail sprout from the parcel) for a coop full of chickens. His route takes him through a variety of environments, including snowy and watery ones, and brings him into contact with a few classic folktale characters, such as Mr. Bear (seen enjoying some porridge with a golden-haired girl in his cottage) and Mr. Wolf (who is being robbed of his stash of sheep by three robber pigs). Dubuc is proving herself to be a master at creating quietly inviting animal-populated worlds, and this title is no exception. While the text is mainly a catalogue of the places and animals that Mr. Postmouse visits, it’s engagingly and elegantly presented. The careful details of the house interiors (shown in cutaway views) are reminiscent of Richard Scarry’s Busytown books, although with a more visually streamlined, less cluttered approach. Viewers will get a chuckle out of the Rabbit family’s burrow, from the stacked-to-the-ceiling bunk beds to the bunny toilet that leads to a lower hole full of little black bunny poops, and they’ll giggle at the car-shaped bulge punctuating the sinuous form of Mr. Snake, in his quonset hut–like abode that extends across multiple pages. Dubuc’s palette of soft colors (featuring plenty of outdoorsy greens, blues, and browns) and the clean, tidily outlined figures harmonize with the narrative’s calm, contemplative tone. Although this title invites close viewing to fully appreciate the details, it could still be a pleasant addition to a mail- or house-themed story session. Copyright © 2015 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois