Creepy Castle

Rating:
Summary: A story without words so that kids can tell it themselves
Review: "Creepy Castle" is the wordless story of a brave young mouse and his fair lady mouse finding a deserted castle when they are out for a walk. The cross over the drawbridge and enter the castle, unaware that they are being followed by a villainous rat (you can tell because his eyes and nose are different) who locks the couple inside the castle. This means our hero and his lady have to find out what is behind those glowing eyes in the dark and face other surprises in the castle in their attempt to get back home. Fortunately, our hero has his staff with him and knows how to use it, so everything will be okay in the end.

This is one of thirty-five wordless picture books that John S. Goodall has created using watercolor illustrations and half-pages to advance the story. He is better known for his stories about Paddy Prok, Shrewbettina, and Naughty Nancy, but like these others "Creepy Castle" can help young children develop their narrative skills as they tell the story Goodall has drawn for them. Just keep in mind that this story was originally published in 1975 and that since the female mouse cowers while the male mouse plays the hero, the gender roles are not exactly politically correct by current standards. Consequently, I really would be more inclined to put this in the hands of a little boy rather than a little girl.

Rating:
Summary: If You Give a Mouse a Castle
Review: A dashing, green-clad, Robin Hood-like mouse and his dressed-to-the-nines wife (think of the "Robin Hood" movie with Olivia de Haviland) find adventure while confront scary objects (e.g., bats, a green monster with whiskers, a mysterious person following them along the way) in and around a castle. The only real violence is the stabbing (without blood) of the monster. The intruder, on the other hand, gets bumped into a river when he aims his bow and arrow at some geese!

There are no words (watercolorist Goodall wrote more than 35 such books), but the fairy-tale setting, the beautiful illustrations, and the foldaway half pages that reveal action when peeled back will stimulate the young "reader." For very small fry, somewhat older readers, especially girls, may not relate to the female mouse always being scared, and the male mouse always coming to her rescue. But then, while the book is innovative in the use of foldaway half pages, the story is fairly traditional. In general, this is a very fun book that promises lots of good quality talk between you and your young one!

Rating:
Summary: If You Give a Mouse a Castle
Review: A dashing, green-clad, Robin Hood-like mouse and his dressed-to-the-nines wife (think of the "Robin Hood" movie with Olivia de Haviland) find adventure while confront scary objects (e.g., bats, a green monster with whiskers, a mysterious person following them along the way) in and around a castle. The only real violence is the stabbing (without blood) of the monster. The intruder, on the other hand, gets bumped into a river when he aims his bow and arrow at some geese!

There are no words (watercolorist Goodall wrote more than 35 such books), but the fairy-tale setting, the beautiful illustrations, and the foldaway half pages that reveal action when peeled back will stimulate the young "reader." For very small fry, somewhat older readers, especially girls, may not relate to the female mouse always being scared, and the male mouse always coming to her rescue. But then, while the book is innovative in the use of foldaway half pages, the story is fairly traditional. In general, this is a very fun book that promises lots of good quality talk between you and your young one!

Rating:
Summary: Don't bother
Review: John Goodall illustrates beautiful wordless books, and this is no exception (so I've given this two stars, instead of one). But unlike some of his other books our family has "read" (such as Paddy Goes Traveling), this does not have a very interesting plot. In a nutshell, two mice visit an abandoned castle, are locked inside and face a few perils -- each one easily handled by the male mouse, a knight -- before safely returning home. The characters are flat; the knight is brave, the lady timid. Yes, it is a fairy tale, but many traditional tales are far more interesting. Skip this one, especially if you have a daughter.

Rating:
Summary: Great for imaginations!
Review: My son LOVED the John Goodall books.....they have no words, but have wonderful illustrations that tell the story. My son would make up the story in his own words as we went through the book. Creepy Castle was his favorite and he never tired of it and neither did I! Can't wait for my future grandbabies to "read" this one to their Grandma some day!

Rating:
Summary: Cute, creative wordless story.
Review: What a cute idea!

A medieval mouse couple find an adventure, and your child gets to imagine the dialogue and create the narration as she goes along.

The story is told without words, using half-pages that show action (each page has a little page you turn to see what is happening - for instance, the mice approach a drawbridge... flip the tiny page, and you see them crossing the drawbridge.)

It's a small book, but nicely illustrated. We like it!