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Revision as of 00:21, 20 May 2015 by Fyddlestix (talk | contribs) (ref tag fix)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)The Church Mice series is a series of picture books written by English writer Graham Oakley. The books focus on the adventures of a group of church mice who live in an old gothic church in the fictional town of Whortlethope, England, and their guardian, Sampson the cat. The books have been widely praised for their richly detailed illustrations and their witty, comical stories. Several of the church mice books have been nominated for or won major literary awards.
Characters
In The Church Mouse (the first book in the series) readers are introduced to Arthur the church mouse, who lives alone in the church with Sampson the cat. Sampson, it is revealed, has sworn never to harm a mouse, having listened to many sermons on brotherly love and meekness while living in the church. Arthur soon invites more mice to live in the church, earning the permission of the Parson by promising that the mice will do chores and odd jobs to earn their keep. One particularly notable addition is Humphrey the school mouse, who becomes Arthur's good friend but is also something of a troublemaker.
Reception
Reviewer Anne Rowe has praised the "memorable characters, beautifully realized" of the church mice series. In a review of The Church Mouse, Emma Milne-White noted that Oakley's "glorious illustrations are packed so full of detail and humor that something new is discovered with each reading...they compliment the story beautifully."
Several of the church mice books have been nominated for major awards; The Church Mice Adrift was a New York Times Best Illustrated Children's Book of the Year, and was nominated for a Kate Greenaway Medal in 1977. The Church Mice in Action was nominated for a Kate Greenaway Medal, and was a runner-up for the Kurt Maschler Award in 1982.
List of church mice books
The Church Mouse (1972)
The Church Cat Abroad (1973)
The Church Mice on the Moon (1974)
The Church Mice Spread Their Wings (1975)
The Church Mice Adrift (1976)
The Church Mice at Bay (1978)
The Church Mice at Christmas (1980)
The Church Mice in Action (1982)
The Diary of a Church Mouse (1986)
The Church Mice and the Ring (1992)
References
- ^ Rowe, Anne (2001). "Church Mice Series (1972-1999)". In Watson, Victor (ed.). The Cambridge Guide to Children's Books in English. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9780521550642.
- ^ "Graham Oakley". Contemporary Authors Online. Detroit: Gale Group.
- Flowers, Ann A. (March–April 1993). "The Church Mice and the Ring". The Horn Book Magazine. 69 (2): 228.
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: date format (link) - Miller, Kane (February 2011). "The Church Mouse". Children's Bookwatch.
- ^ Pilgrim, J (2005). "Oakley, Graham". In Cullinan, Bernice E.; Person, Diane Goetz (eds.). The Continuum Encyclopedia of Children's Literature. Continuum. ISBN 0-8264-1778-7.
- Milne-White, Emma (December 12 2008). "Graham Oakley: The Church Mouse". The Bookseller: 11.
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