Alexander and the Wind-Up Mouse

• Title: Alexander and the Wind-Up Mouse
• Author: Leo Lionni
• Illustrator: Leo Lioni
• Publisher: Scholastic Inc.
• Publication year: 1969
• Brief Summary: From Scholastic Inc.-“Everyone loves Willy the wind-up mouse, while Alexander the real mouse is chased away with brooms and mousetraps. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to be loved and cuddled, thinks Alexander, and he wishes he could be a wind-up mouse too. In this gentle fable about a real mouse and a mechanical mouse, Leo Lionni explores the magic of friendship.”
• Ideas for using this book in classroom or library –One idea from Scholastic was to bring up wind-up toys to demonstrate Willy the wind-up mouse. Another idea was to have the children make their own art after reading the book (this could be done in conjunction with the art teacher). I think this book would work better for young children.
• Whatever additional notes you’d like to add about this book and why you liked or didn’t like it –I enjoyed the bright, almost collage like art of Lioni. Probably my favorite illustration is of the gray Alexander meeting the colorful lizard, with a bright background of green leaves behind him. I think the message of Alexander using his one pebble to not turn himself into a wind-up toy but to turn Willy into a real mouse is something children can use.