Acquired Book By: In February (2020) I joined NetGalley for the first time as they finally announced they were going to be offering full-length audiobooks for reviewers. I was never able to join NetGalley due to having chronic migraines and being unable to read ebooks. I started requesting audiobooks to review as soon as they opened their audiobook catalogue in July, 2020. I am an eclectic reader and thereby, you will see all genres in Fiction explored from both markets of interest: mainstream and INSPY as well as from Major Trade, Indie Publishers & Press and other routes of publication, too. There might be the occasional Non-Fiction title appearing in my NetGalley queue of reviews as well. This marks a new adventure for me seeking stories for review consideration and I look forward to seeing where the stories lead me to venture.
I received a complimentary digital and temporary audiobook copy of “Out, Mouse!” direct from the publisher Whistle Oak Publishing via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All audiobooks via NetGalley are able to be heard via the NetGalley Shelf which is why I was thankful to be gifted an android tablet by my parents to celebrate my 7th Blog Birthday on Jorie Loves A Story in 2020. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.
NOTE: As a new reviewer on NetGalley, I’m sorting out how to get the Press Materials for each of the audiobooks I’m reviewing when I share them on my blog Jorie Loves A Story. When I contacted NetGalley Support they informed me that if a separate Press Kit is not included on the audiobook’s book page we’re allowed as reviewers to use the book cover and synopsis provided when we go to share our review of that audiobook on our blogs; as long as we give attribution as I have done at the bottom of this review in “Sources”. Those materials are provided with permission of the publishers to be used by reviewers via NetGalley.
Why I wanted to read &/or listen to “Out, Mouse!”:
I have been wanting to find Children’s Literature audiobooks for a while now as I’ve been dipping my toes into this section of audioreads for a few years now. I’ve enjoyed where my adventures have previously taken me especially when it came to exploring the world of a circus within the audio narrative of “The Marvelwood Magicians” which I listened to during Year 4 of #WyrdAndWonder!
When it comes to short story formats in audiobooks, I notice that if a narrator can hook me into the story within the first few minutes of their narration, I am on pins to find out how it ends! This time round, it took seconds not minutes to feel captured by Collins narration style as he rounded out the character of Finn so dearly charmingly it pulled you directly into the spirit of the story Egar had written whilst allowed you the lovely escape into the world of Mr and Mrs Mouse as their lives expanded dimensionally through the letters of Finn!
Originally in print this would be considered a picture or chapter book for younger readers but as an adult reader, who is still happily charmed by Children’s Lit across the board – (including Middle Grade & Young Adult) – it is a timeless story for all ages as you will find out from my ruminative thoughts on my review. It was mentioned this is based on Irish folklore though I am unfamiliar with the original story attached to this adaptation – it works wonderfully as a ‘first listen’ kind of story without the further background of its origins, too! One day I hope to chase down which Irish folk story it was attributed to having been inspired by and thus, expanded. Perhaps that information is in the print edition?
Out, Mouse!
by Valerie L. Egar
Source: Audiobook Direct from Publisher via NetGalley
Narrator: Paul Collins
Mouse Problems? Professor Dunderbutt advises writing a polite letter to the mice suggesting a better place to live. If the first letter doesn't work, try again. And again. His method NEVER fails. But....the two mice in Finn's cottage are fussy. They expect indoor plumbing. A library. Raisin scones. Finn searches the Irish countryside for a house that will please his unwelcome guests. He writes polite letters. Will the professor's advice work?
Based on an Irish folk belief, Out, Mouse! is a humorous early chapter book for children 6-9.
13 chapters, 78 pages (print version).
Places to find the book:
ISBN: 978-1733593335
ASIN: B094JTPHD3
Published by Whistle Oak Publishing
on 12th May, 2021
Format: Audiobook | Digital Review Copy (NetGalley)
Length: 32 Minutes, 58 Seconds (unabridged)
Published By: Whistle Oak Publishing
Converse via: #KidsLit, #ChapterBook, #AudioReads for Children
and #audiobook or #audioreads as well as #OutMouse #NetGalley
Available Formats: Trade paperback, Audiobook and Ebook
✍ Follow the author: Site
My review of out, mouse!:
What endears you to the story quite immediately is Finn, himself – as he’s a gentleman of a certain age whose just about settled into his life to the point where he doesn’t like too many surprises. Which is why when he found his cottage had been disturbed by an unseen and unknown presence, he was more than a little upset! As the title eludes, mice are involved in the disturbances and of course the cheeky clever illustration on the book cover itself further clues in the reader(s) to the antics of the mice in question! As they seem to have an affinity for Finn!
You have to laugh a bit about the absurd notion that we can simply write letters to creatures who’ve become pests in our lives and yet, there is a quaint logistics to the suggestion as well! Although how our suggestive notions about where those creatures ought to move along to next might be well-intentional, I did spark my own curiosity in wondering if anyone would accept that kind of advice? I’m quite sure I’d like to direct the scorpions who get unsettled whenever the yard crew disturbs their dirt might not be as keen to know what I think about their shocking presence in my home? Or, the ants who seem to be a Summer pest who seem to believe that their marches into our kitchen are welcomed? Yes, I could see myself composing more than one note, but whether or not those to whom I would be writing would take subtle hints about how they need to reside elsewhere than here would acceptable to them might be asking a bit much, eh? Perhaps mice might be more agreeable than most! Mind, don’t even get me started about spiders! Whose webs are constantly attaching themselves to my car!
After Finn gives the mice his first letter, that is where Egar expands the world in which this story is set to fluctuate between the perspectives of the mice and the life of Finn, himself. In this way, a door opens in your imagination – as you can definitely see the distinctive imagery Egar has created for us to follow along with the mice as they explore the choices Finn makes for them in regard to where they can resettle nearby which is anywhere outside his own cottage!
The first location was unsuited to the mice’s sensibility for a comfortable life – as it was merely a barn which housed horses without any of the homemade foods, they had become accustomed to having at Finn’s cottage. That combined without finding anything homey about the place, they definitely decided that that wouldn’t suit them at all. Though not to be turnt off by a suggestion from Finn, they entertained his notions of where they ought to try to live next – which took the mice off to a bit of a faraway destination (an Inn) which led them directly into a baker’s delight of ambrosial delights! And, yet — you won’t believe what happened when they tried to exit that location!
The action sequence was fervently described with the anguish of the mice and the dicey situation that nearly took the lives of the mice! I appreciated how animated the mice became through each of their adventures which were being directed by Finn. Of course, half of his ideas were short-sighted because he was only considering places that he felt would suit them based on his presumptions of what their needs were and the kind of life they wanted to live. He wasn’t considering places that would be suitable to them but rather was giving ideas based on what appeared to be proper based on outside appearances which of course we learnt from the mice isn’t always what it appears to be on the inside!
Egar takes us on quite the journey! We move through established businesses like an Inn to a seaside lighthouse with the sand and shells before we proceeded to visit a larger estate such as a castle. At each turn of the story, we delight in the impression of the mice – where they first look for the positives of each place Finn tells them to relocate too before of course it becomes too obvious to them (and to us!) that something is quite wrong with them! Ironically or not, there are hidden obstacles and questions of safety for the mice of whom would be in mortal danger at most of the spots Finn told them to go! Not the best choices overall because what was humbling about their journey was how at each new location, Mr and Mrs Mouse openly discussed their plans for their futures and what they hoped for the generations of mice who would come after them. Which is similar to all of us and the goals we each have for our own lives. A small bit of the world to call our own and to live in quiet harmony as we watch our family grow and thrive.
I loved the ending! It was such a heartwarming way to conclude the story – where the journey of trying to find a new home for the mice led Finn to make a rather big change himself in his own life! And, yet, of course, the cheekiness of how it ends is a bit of a cliffhanger too as we don’t get the final reaction from Finn after learning what the mice decide to do with themselves! Not that we have to guess much about what he would say but it would have been clever I felt to have that reaction at the very end — perhaps even a mini-Epilogue with the mice walking into their new home and then, letting Finn have his final remarks about their choice!?!
on the styling of this chapter book by Ms Egar:
I love when a writer can surprise you by how they entertain you and how they wrote to convey the message of their story – especially in Children’s Literature with a story like “Out, Mouse!” because it is a bit of a suspension of reality but at the same time, I still have fond memories of being read The Cricket in Times Square in elementary school – so technically speaking, there is a very thin line of illusion and reality when it comes to stories and children. These are the best kinds of stories for children too because it helps encourage their imagination as you settle into the narrative behind Out, Mouse! you start to see how Egar developed the co-dependent relationship the mice had with Finn and how sometimes, the pests and creatures in your living environment have much more to say than you might realise in the beginning!
I loved how Egar also fused so much of the story from the dual perspectives of both Finn and the mice (ie. Mr and Mrs Mouse) – as he was given considerable time to become pensive about the places he was suggesting to the mice whilst with the mice, she gave such wonderful impressions of their first thoughts on each new location and what was right or wrong with it from their perspective on arrival. Their words were giving more depth to the world as they were visually describing everything they saw and in turn, of course, mentioning what might not be quite right with all of it, too!
The best bit of commentary I can share after listening to this is that it encouraged me to re-create the experience for my Mum who like me was shortly cackling with laughter about the antics of Finn and the curiously adventurous journey Mr and Mrs Mouse had undertaken throughout the course of the story! It is a story which befits any age of listener (or reader) and there is a lovely innocence about this story too which captures both your heart and your imagination! This is a direct credit to how well it was written and conceived by Ms Egar! As well as a nod to Mr Collins who brought the story lovingly to life through his narration.
In regard to the audiobook directly:
I am appreciative of Ms Jess providing a cursory outline of how best to articulate my listening hours on behalf of this audiobook and the others I shall be blogging about or reviewing in future. I’ve modified the suggestions to what I felt were pertinent to respond too on my own behalf as well as keeping to the questions I felt were relevant to share.
Number of Times I’ve heard the Narrator(s):
This is my first time listening to Paul Collins.
How the story sounded to me as it was being read: (theatrical or narrative)
I felt this was spoken narrative moreso than theatrical – as it felt like a one man’s play where the presentation of the story was beautifully told. I loved how you could settle into the story and enjoy the descriptive narrative you overheard whether you were spending time on the road with the mice or in the cottage with Finn.
Regards to Articulation & Performance of the story:
Articulation:
Ooh! I loved how Collins articulated the story and how he interpreted it as well through his narration. He had a very strong presence throughout the audiobook – wherein, you could tell he enjoyed his time within the story.
Performance:
Finn: I loved the voice used for Finn, as he had a slight inflected accent, but you could tell Collins was tuning into how Finn would present himself to others by how he chose to voice the character. Finn was endearing as a lead character because of how much he truly put his heart into his letters with the mice and how he strove to make wise choices on their behalf – even if half of those choices were a bit misguided as he was not considering their own wishes for their lives, you could tell by how Collins was voicing his character that he was a man of thoughtful kindness. Even if he was a bit overly stressed by living with mice!
Mr and Mrs Mouse: Both of the mice were well-voiced as each of them had their own unique personalities including making the distinction between their genders, even if Mrs Mouse sounded a bit more like a higher pitched Mr Mouse. I was cheekily happy listening to their commentary throughout the story and seeing how their observations about Finn’s ideas weren’t quite the best to give to mice who simply wanted to raise children and have a generational place to call home with a few comforts of what makes them feel truly settled.
Mr and Mrs Mouse truly stole the story for me! They were so fully developed into their own persons that they were a delight of joy to listen, too. I could tell Collins had fun with their dialogue and with their scenes overall as he shifted between their voices.
Preference after listening to re-Listen or pick up the book in Print?
I definitely would like to get this book in both audio and print as a keepsake until I have children I can share the story with myself. It is such a gently told tale and yet it has a lot of good life lessons evolving through it as well as the cheekiness of humans interacting with mice! The only curious bit is that the one method of communication didn’t go the other way round – meaning, the mice never actually interacted with Finn; only he wrote letters to the mice but they didn’t respond except by their evermore presence in his life which I suppose spoke volumes on their behalf with words to explain themselves.
In closing, would I seek out another Paul Collins audiobook?
Yes, I would because I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this short story – I would love to see what he can do with longer stories but also different genres of interest in both Children’s and Adult Lit. He is a new narrator I want to keep eyes on for new releases and see which stories he narrates next which might interest me to listen too.
This book review is courtesy of:
Whistle Oak Publishing via NetGalley
I am grateful for NetGalley
for audiobook readers
who love seeking out the audio stories
which might not be available to them to listen
otherwise whilst increasing their
Literary wanderings with #newtomeauthors!
{SOURCES: Book cover for “Out, Mouse!” and book synopsis were all provided by the publisher via NetGalley and are used with permission of the publisher and NetGalley. Post dividers by Fun Stuff for Your Blog via Pure Imagination. Tweets were embedded due to codes provided by Twitter. Blog graphics created by Jorie via Canva: #Audioreads banner, In Children’s Lit banner and the Comment Box Banner.}
Copyright © Jorie Loves A Story, 2022.
I’m a social reader | I tweet my reading life
Positively LOVED this #KidsLit #audiobook "Out, Mouse!"🐭Mr and Mrs Mouse truly stole the story for me! They were so fully developed into their own persons that they were a delight of joy to listen, too.
💜 the narrator Paul Collins's performance!
🎧📖https://t.co/5rpwqOV9Go pic.twitter.com/0Ps28eiMHP— Jorie Story 📖🎧 (@joriestory) August 29, 2022
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
- 2022 Audiobook Challenge
- 2022 Backlogue Reviews
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