Babymouse: Queen of the World by Jennifer L. Holm & Matthew Holm

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Holm, J. & Holm, M (2005). Babymouse: queen of the world. (J. Holm & M. Holm, Illus.) Random House

        Babymouse: Queen of the World is an introductory graphic novel to a series about a young mouse with lofty dreams and a strong imagination. The series includes many titles, but each is a standalone story, so you don’t need the entire series to understand the plot of one of the books. In this particular story, we get to learn a bit about who Babymouse is and how she goes about living her life. We are provided with a character breakdown page right at the beginning of the book so as not to slow down the story with introductions to the world and characters. The story takes on a plot that many children will be able to relate to: wanting to be invited to a popular kid’s event and discovering who your true friends are. This plot is similar to many others in children’s media, so a child should be able to understand it and learn the life lesson it is trying to teach.

      Because Babymouse has such an active and vivid imagination, using the graphic novel format is a perfect way to tell this story. Oftentimes, Babymouse slips into her imagination without realizing it whether it be dealing with situations as she would in a specific film genre or getting sucked up by her locker. For instance, when she receives a note to pass in class and wants to know what’s written inside without being caught reading it, she slips into a film noir detective scenario. When this happens, the narration changes to match the narration that would happen in that kind of film. The illustrations follow suit turning Babymouse into a detective in easily recognizable clothing and the setting from a classroom into a detective office. If the narration were to do this without illustrations, it would be confusing for the reader with no explanation, and if an explanation was provided, it would make the transition clunky and off-putting making the slip into imagination less fun. The graphic novel format also allows the book to break the fourth wall often having Babymouse interact with the narrator giving the story a humorous and sarcastic tone which the reader is sure to find amusing. 



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