Book Review: Nalah Goes to Mad Mouse City by Anne Sawyer-Aitch #children

Title: Nalah Goes to Mad Mouse City
Author: Anne Sawyer-Aitch
Publisher: Magic Lantern Press
Pages: 44
Genre: Children’s Picture Book
Format: Paperback

The adventures of Nalah continue! One day Nalah finds herself bored and lonesome because all of her imaginary friends have gone away on vacation. But wait – not all. Mad Tooth, the little mouse who lives in her sock drawer, is still busy munching away on her knee-highs. When she finds out why Nalah is sad, she offers to take her down through the sock drawer into a mouse metropolis. The result is a tale of wild dancing, cousins and mice, taffy and a sock monster.

“Gorgeously illustrated with a process I've only seen before in Anne Sawyer-Aitch's 1st book, Nalah and the Pink Tiger. My 4-year-old particularly enjoyed the x-ray view of the stilting guard of Mad Mouse City, and was inspired to make several of her own versions of the illustration. Another fun story with a relatable young girl as protagonist and vivid fantastic characters she encounters.” – E. Bestrom, Good Reads reader

For More Information

• Nalah Goes to Mad Mouse City is available at Amazon.
• Discuss this book at PUYB Virtual Book Club at Goodreads.

Review:

What a fun and magical children's picture book!  As a child, did you ever feel deserted and lonely when your friends all went to places you've never been before?  It's terrible.  But what if even your imaginary friends took off for exotic places and left you all alone?  That's the delightful premise of Anne Sawyer-Aitch's new children's picture book, Nalah Goes to Mad Mouse City.

Nalah's imaginary friends have flown the coop and she has never felt so alone in her life.  While her family was preparing for a picnic, she tried to get everyone's attention but they were so busy doing other things.  Without her imaginary friends, surely her family would come to her rescue and play with her.  Not.  Lots of people were coming over for the picnic they were preparing and didn't have time for Nalah.  She sulked to her bedroom and started playing pirate when one of her imaginary friends, Mad Tooth the mouse, came to her rescue and took her to Mad Mouse City where she was welcomed with open arms.  Without giving away the ending, there is definitely a happy ending but you'll have to read the book to find out!

Nalah has a wild imagination and that's what I loved about this book.  The illustrations are spectacular.  The cover has Nalah flying which to me had free spirit written all over it.  I don't think they could have come up with a more whimsical cover - kudos to Anne for not only writing it and illustrating it as well.

I give this book 5 book trees because of the message this book gives to children: that it's okay to have imaginary friends even if they do get you into trouble sometimes.

My Rating: