Thursday, January 5, 2023

Need a House? Call Ms Mouse! by George Mendoza illustrated by Doris Susan Smith



This book was first published in 1981 with the title House by Mouse in the UK and Need a House? Call Ms Mouse in the US. The original publisher was Andre Deutsch in the UK and Grosset & Dunlap in the US. This new edition was published in 2022 by the Australian publisher Allen and Unwin. My friend recently lent me her two copies so in this post I plan to compare them. I do need to say I was not familiar with the original book. If you do by chance have the book from 1981 or the paperback from 1983, copies are selling for large amounts of money.

I'm trying to track down the history of this book. I did find this:

The text in the Australian version was much more straightforward, with simple description and no jokes. Interestingly, the gender of several of the animals changed between the two versions; in the American version, the bear became male and the pig became female—a much closer match, it seems to me, to gender stereotypes.  Slate, September 24, 2013.

I don't know how Allen and Unwin came to reprint this US classic book but it gives me heart that other wonderful books that are long out of print could come "back from the dead".  I have a Pinterest of books that are Out of Print and should be republished - hello Allen and Unwin - can you please take a look at this?

Whether simple or grand, Henrietta will find a solution, and she might just inspire future architects and designers to do the same. Kids' Book Review

About George Mendoza: A poet, screenwriter, travel journalist, novelist, and writer of children’s books, George Mendoza (1934–2018) established himself as a top author of his day, publishing over 100 books for children and adults worldwide. In 1968, he was awarded the Lewis Carroll Shelf Award for his book The Hunter I Might Have Been. Ahead of his time in terms of packaging projects, his phenomenal energy, talent, and imagination were reflected in his many collaborations with celebrities such as Carol Burnett and Michel Legrand, renowned artists like Eric Carle and Norman Rockwell. NY Review of Books

None of the illustrations have been changed in the new edition - thank goodness - they are so charming and invite revisiting to explore all their tiny details. You can see nearly every page here

The text has been changed, though, on every page and I have to say I wonder why? I would love to read the two versions aloud to a child or group of children to see which one works best. I do prefer the original on some pages if indeed it is the original  - I continue to be confused.  The National Library of Australia list a 1981 edition of this book with Allen and Unwin as the publisher. The British library catalogue list a 1981 edition (House by Mouse) with the publisher Methuen (a Magnet paperback). 

The original UK edition listed each page as a series of 'chapters' but in this new book the page is called Henrietta's Portfolio. Allen and Unwin also changed the dedication!

Opening sentences UK: This is Henrietta sitting at her drawing board and working deep into the night, without even stopping to nibble at a cheese sandwich or drink a cup of coffee. ... All the animals want to live in a house designed by Henrietta, because she is the only mouse in the world who understands exactly what makes a squirrel or a rabbit, a caterpillar or a frog feel at home. In short Henrietta is a genius.

Opening sentences new edition: "Henrietta is a world-famous decorator, which means she is: an artist, a designer, a dreamer, a builder, a creator - all that and more too. You may have heard about Henrietta from your forest friends. Squirrels, rabbits, chipmunks and all kinds of birds know her .... Sometimes she labours far into the night, without even thinking of nibbling on a piece of bread or cheese."

"For music loving Spider, Mouse designed a modern recording studio complete with performing platform. Then she wired his web to the whole thing and joined him in a jazz session certain to catch the ear of any unsuspecting fly or mosquito passing by"

"Spider's web becomes a musical dive with a magical tuned-up beat. 
Beware, flying gnats, moths and flies!


"Squirrel asked for a house in the tree-tops that would make him feel he lived in a space-ship"

"Imagine: Squirrel asks Henrietta to design a spaceship feeling in the branches of a knotty tree."

If you have a budding architect in your family or a child who is fascinated by how our homes are designed I highly recommend this book. I especially love the cross section illustrations, the rabbit's house, frog's pagoda house and the way nearly every house has a set of book shelves crammed full of books. 

Here is a companion book:



You might be lucky and find this book in your school or local library:


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