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Stuart Little
Category: Book |
List Price: $5.99
Our Price: $5.99 |
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As of: January 08th, 2009 02:18:55 PM
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Customer comments on this selection.
 classic
I'd never read this book, so when I found it among the kids' books, I decided to give it a shot. And yes, I feel guilty for not having read it to my kids when they were small. Not to worry--I read to them a lot, just not this one, possibly because I wasn't familiar with it myself.
I'm sure everyone already knows the plot--my ignorance notwithstanding, it is a classic children's story. It's not the same as the movie, by the way--which I haven't seen, but I've heard about.
The Littles' second child turns out to be a mouse. The story tells about his struggles living as a mouse in a human household, and then about his adventures when he leaves home to find his bird friend.
It's very much a product of its times--written in 1945, it's a completely different style from most current children's books. The language isn't dumbed down for children, nor does the story have a sugary-sweet ending that seems a requirement nowadays. At the same time, it's not a story for adults. Stuart is obviously meant to be identified with by young children, and his adventures involve situations and emotions that will be familiar to them.
I do wish I'd read it to my kids when they were small. Maybe I'll hang on to it for eventual grandchildren.
A classic - but not perfect
As an adult I normally loathe stories with talking animals, animals who reason, etc. I'm also not that fond of mice! But "Stuart Little" is done in an engaging way, and it's far better than the live-action movie of the same name. The story is a little more serious and less action-oriented, and the book as a whole is evocative of a simpler time.
 Not for anyone over Six
I see the reading level as 9-12. Yikes! If Harry Potter is 9-12, then Little should be 1-3. I did love the beginning of this story. There is no explanation as to why a human mother presumably gives birth to a mouse instead of a human child. The story goes on without anymore reference to it. As if this is just the way it was. End of discussion. I loved that! Funny. And the writing is charming, to be sure, but the story just goes on without getting anywhere. It's one adventure after another without an end in sight. No goal. That's my trouble with Stuart Little.
To explain the sudden and unsatisfying ending, I did hear that the author, White, was quite a hypochondriac. At the time of this book's writing, he was convinced he was going to die at any moment, (He ended up living a number of decades after Stuart Little was first published.) So, fearing certain death, White demanded the publisher to publish the book now!, as is, "before I die tomorrow!" Amazing, but true.
 Good book, bad ending
I enjoyed this book, but I didn't really enjoy the ending. The beginning and middle were well written, the characters were well thought out. The boat race was probably the most exciting part. The ending was poorly written. However, EB White was suffering from hypochondria, and this is why he ended the book so abruptly and never wrote a sequel. He could have written one, but was suffering from this illness. I prefer the movie, very sadly, in this one instance.
 great read
my 6 yr old read charlotte's web - wanted this one - loves it also
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