Mina by Matthew Forsythe

 

Publisher blurb: Mina and her father live in a hollowed-out tree stump on the edge of a pond on the edge of a forest. Nothing ever bothers Mina, until one day, her father brings home a suspicious surprise from the woods. Should Mina trust her father—or listen to her own instincts?

This is one of those wonderful books where you, and more importantly your young reading companion, will know more than the characters. They might even be yelling at young Mina to alert her that her suspicions are correct and this huge creature dad has invited into their home is not a squirrel. Actually I want to write this again - this is NOT a squirrel!

Yes it is true squirrels are bigger than mice and yes they do have long bushy tails but ...  

When this huge animal just sits around Mina tries presenting it with a delicious acorn but this is ignored. Surely that is suspicious. Then horror of horrors her father brings home two more of these surprise creatures. Luckily they call on the doctor and he can see the truth perhaps because he has had an unfortunate accident some time in the past - you might notice he has a wooden leg. Was he once attacked by a cat? Oh no what can three tiny mice do when three enormous, yes they are cats, are set to eat them! The solution is certain to surprise and delight you.

See more work by Matthew Forsythe here. In this blog post you can read a very detailed description of Mina along with some ideas for sharing this book with a group of children. It is a good idea to read this book more than once and on your second or third reading pay special attention to the eyes of those cats - it is easy to 'read' their plans for those mice. 

Whichever way you think the story is going, it’s not, and Forsythe expertly subverts expectations with deadpan comedy and absurdist details that bring Mina’s tale perfectly full-circle. The Baby Bookworm

You can see inside Mina here. The end papers are fun - 

Awards for Mina:

• 2023 Winner Wanda Gag Read Aloud Award
• A 2022 Kirkus Book of the Year 
• A 2022 Shelf Awareness Book of the Year 
• A 2022 CBC Books Book of the Year 
• 2022 Winner - Quebec Writers Federation Prize
• 2022 Governor General’s Award Finalist

“This uniquely told, beautifully illustrated story manages to look directly at the big idea of parental fallibility—wrapped up with love and faith and trust—from such a distinctly child’s eye that we don’t even know it’s doing it.” - Jury’s Notes, Quebec Writers’ Federation

Ten years ago in 2013 I talked about another book illustrated by Matthew Forsythe:

My Name is Elizabeth