Tumtum & Nutmeg: Adventures beyond Nutmouse Hall (review)

Abstract

Reviewed by: Tumtum & Nutmeg: Adventures beyond Nutmouse Hall Jeannette Hulick Bearn, Emily. Tumtum & Nutmeg: Adventures beyond Nutmouse Hall; illus. by Nick Price. Little, 2009 504p. ISBN 978-0-316-02703-8 $16.99 R Gr. 3–5 This extensive story (previously published as three separate books in Britain) chronicles the various escapades of two mice, Tumtum and Nutmeg Nutmouse, who live comfortably in the well-appointed Nutmouse Hall, hidden inside a dilapidated cottage inhabited by absent-minded inventor Mr. Mildew and his two children, Lucy and Arthur. In the first tale, “Tumtum & Nutmeg,” the two mice become “fairies” for Lucy and Arthur, secretly fixing up the ramshackle home and plot to get rid of the Mildews’ very nasty visiting aunt. “The Great Escape” features adventure-mad General Marchmouse (a neighbor and friend of the Nutmouses) being captured by the children and taken to school (where he is put into the gerbil cage) and his (and the gerbils’) subsequent rescue by the Nutmouses and a troupe of fearless mouse ballerinas. In “The Pirates’ Treasure,” General Marchmouse commandeers a toy boat and sails it (with the reluctant Nutmouses as passengers) to a nearby island inhabited by dangerous rat pirates. Bearn has created an engaging and entertaining domestic animal fantasy world, wherein mice lead parallel lives alongside unwitting humans. There are hints here of The Borrowers, Beatrix Potter, and even The Wind in the Willows (the Nutmouses are very Mole-like in their home-loving natures, while General Marchmouse is much like Mr. Toad), and children who enjoy such imaginative fantasies will lap this up. Bearn’s language is confiding and straightforward (“What they both liked most of all was peace and quiet, so all this excitement did seem rather bad luck”), and it’s easily accessible to [End Page 393] young readers not daunted by the book’s length. There is also a goodly serving of humor here, especially in the impulsive deeds of General Marchmouse (the scenes with the gerbils are particularly amusing). Price’s monochromatic line illustrations, outlined in a border of twigs and acorns, are often so filled with hatching that they are a bit hard to decipher, but they’re detailed and warm. This would be a fine book to hand kids for summer reading, and it would make a splendid readaloud for families and classrooms. Copyright © 2009 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois