Seven Blind Mice by Ed Young

Bibliography
Young, Ed. 1992. Seven Blind Mice. New York: Philomel Books.

ISBN: 0-399-22261-8

Summary
Seven blind make guesses about what they are feeling. All guesses are wrong until the last mouse feels the elephant in its entirety, making the moral obvious.

Critical Analysis
Ed Young writes an adaptation of the Indian folktale, The Blind Men and the Elephant, in his colorful Caldecott Honor book, Seven Blind Mice.

Young establishes the setting of the story quickly, as most folktales do. The story takes in place in the duration of one week. One day a week, one mouse ventures from home, to discover what the strange something is.

Another indicator of a folktale is seen in the plot. The plot is a logical sequence of events where each mouse explores different parts of the elephant, returning home with an explanation. Each mouse has a different explanation until the last one tries. The last mouse puts all the parts together to discover the strange something is an elephant.

The style of the story also represents a folktale. The repeated attempts by each mouse is a repeating pattern in the story. Additionally, the story reads like it is being told orally.

The story's theme is also a good illustration of a folktale. The theme is universal, and a moral lesson can be learned. The mice learn "wisdom comes from seeing the whole."

Young's illustrations are an interesting complement to the simple, direct text of the folktale. The colorful mice and the brown, collaged elephant seem to jump off the black pages. In this story, Young's artistic talents are fascinating.

A folktale many children can understand, this is a great story to share with children of all ages.

Review Excerpts
Kirkus Review reports, "Exquisitely crafted: a simple, gracefully honed text, an appealing story, real but unobtrusive values and levels of meaning, and outstanding illustrations and design--all add up to a perfect book (1992).

Shirley Wilton from School Library Journal, states, "A real winner, on many levels. The first impression is visual delight. Brilliant colors and varied textures of paper collage are placed in striking contrast against velvety black pages. Bold white lettering imposed on the dark background tells of seven blind mice, seen in seven bright colors . . . .The tale ends with the moral that wisdom comes from seeing "the whole.'' Adapting the old fable of the blind men and the elephant by weaving in the days of the week, the mice, and the beautiful shapes of the things they see, Young gives children a clever story, wise words, and a truly exciting visual experience" (1992).

Review excerpts accessed from http://www.titlewave.com/

Connections
Students could compare/contrast Blind Men and the Elephant to Seven Blind Mice
Students could compare/contrast other folktales to Seven Blind Mice
Students could compare/contrast other stories written by Ed Young:
Cat and Rat: The Legend of the Chinese Zodiac
I, Doko: A Tale of a Basket
The Lost Horse: A Chinese Folktale
Lon Po Po: A Red-Riding Hood Story from China