The Tale of Despereaux: Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup, and a Spool of Thread

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Average customer rating based on 9 comments:

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2me2, October 16, 2008 (view all comments by 2me2)
My son read this book last year for a book report (4th grade). He enjoyed the book so much, we purchased it for him for Christmas. He pulled the book back out again yesterday to re-read the story. He says that it is the best book he's ever read. It was a very good read and it is broken down into four separate "books" which made it that much easier to write the book report. I would recommend (and have) this book to anyone with children. It definitely stimulated the reading!

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johnsongini, September 4, 2008 (view all comments by johnsongini)
I purchased this book for a child, but what struck me as I read it was the brilliant symbolism that could connect to our social studies curriculum in middle school. For me, it was a flash of realization like the light the rat saw as Gregory the jailor lit the match with the nail of his thumb.

Even though, for Roscuro the rat, the flame was extinguished in a second, the light continued to dance inside him. The idea was born that "light was the only thing that gave life meaning." Once he had seen it, nothing was ever the same again. No longer was he content to be confined to the darkness of the dungeon. He was willing to brave anything to find the light. There are other threads and other lessons as well in this story. All one has to do is look for them.

As a curriculum specialist, I am recommending that teachers in our district use this wonderful book with all of its symbolism about light and darkness and people being kept "in their place" to connect literature to the issues of slavery and human rights in social studies. The glimmer of light, the hope of freedom -- and all is changed forever!

I highly recommend the book for middle school language arts and social studies as a collaborative piece.

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Lisa Combs, July 16, 2008 (view all comments by Lisa Combs)
Rarely authors make the reader part of the story but in Despereaux it is a quintessential element. Reading this tale is a journey into universal themes of forgiveness, love, the delight of fairy tales and the symbolism is beautiful. DiCamillo exposes young readers to literary elements and wonderful words. This is a treasure for readers of all ages to read, read aloud, share and revisit again. Make memories and read The Tale of Despereaux with someone special.

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Product Details

ISBN:

9780763625290

Author:

DiCamillo, Kate

Publisher:

Candlewick

Illustrator:

Ering, Timothy Basil

Author:

Ering, Timothy Basil

Subject:

Fairy Tales & Folklore - Single Title

Subject:

Mice

Subject:

Fairy tales

Subject:

Fairy Tales & Folklore - General

Subject:

Action & Adventure

Subject:

Science Fiction, Fantasy, & Magic

Subject:

General-General

Subject:

Children s-General

Subject:

Family - General

Copyright:

2006

Edition Number:

Reprint ed.

Series:

Tale of Despereaux

Publication Date:

April 11, 2006

Binding:

Paperback

Grade Level:

from 2 up to 7

Language:

English

Illustrations:

1-COLOR

Pages:

272

Dimensions:

36 x 13.5 x 5 in 12.7 lb

Age Level:

08-12

0 stars - 0 reviews

$4.50 In Stock

"Review" by Booklist (Starred Review), "Forgiveness, light, love, and soup. These essential ingredients combine into a tale that is as soul-stirring as it is delicious."

"Review" by Publishers Weekly (Starred Review), "Reader, I will let you imagine, for now, how these witticisms of our omniscient narrator come into play; but I must tell you, you are in for a treat."

"Review" by Kirkus Reviews (Starred Review), "[E]ntirely pleasing....[A] tale with twists and turns, full of forbidden soup and ladles, rats lusting for mouse blood...and all the ingredients of an old-fashioned drama."

"Review" by School Library Journal (Starred Review), "This expanded fairy tale is entertaining, heartening, and, above all, great fun."

"Synopsis" by Random, The Tiger Rising, 4 copies,

"Synopsis" by Random, "Forgiveness, light, love, and soup. These essential ingredients combine into a tale that is as soul-stirring as it is delicious." — BOOKLIST (starred review)

Welcome to the story of Despereaux Tilling, a mouse who is in love with music, stories, and a princess named Pea. It is also the story of a rat called Roscuro, who lives in the darkness and covets a world filled with light. And it is the story of Miggery Sow, a slow-witted serving girl who harbors a simple, impossible wish. These three characters are about to embark on a journey that will lead them down into a horrible dungeon, up into a glittering castle, and, ultimately, into each other's lives. What happens then? As Kate DiCamillo would say: Reader, it is your destiny to find out.

From the master storyteller who brought us BECAUSE OF WINN-DIXIE comes another classic, a fairy tale full of quirky, unforgettable characters, with twenty-four stunning black-and-white illustrations by Timothy Basil Ering. This paperback edition pays tribute to the book's classicdesign, featuring a rough front and elegant gold stamping.