Babymouse: The Musical

1.      BIBLIOGRAPHY

Holm, Jennifer and Matthew Holm. 2009. Babymouse: The Musical. New York, NY: Random House Children’s Books. ISBN 978-0-375-93791-0 

2.  PLOT SUMMARY

Buoyed by the attentions of the newcomer British hedgehog Henry Higgins, Babymouse auditions for the school musical and is designated to be understudy to Felicia Furrypaws. Babymouse is quite dramatic in her attempts to act, egged on by the comments of the narrator, who at turns cheers her on or playfully teases her. A variety of actual musicals are woven into the plot, such as A Chorus Line, The Phantom of the Opera, My Fair Lady, High School Musical, Lion King, Pirates of Penzance, American Idol, Grease, Annie, and others. Babymouse has her big break when Felicia develops a hair ball, leaving Babymouse to take center stage where she tries her best and literally brings the house down.

3.      CRITICAL ANALYSIS

In this delightful graphic novel, sister and brother team authors Jennifer Holm and Matthew Holm have created another adventure featuring Babymouse, the endearing, bumbling mouse who perseveres through various trials and accomplishes her goal. She has many misadventures in her attempts to do her best, but that is where the best humor and life lessons lie in this book. Babymouse is a typical student with her struggles with fitting in, playing dodgeball, auditioning for the school musical, having great dreams for herself, yet beset by humorous misfortune. She is a role model for readers aged seven to twelve who encounter similar situations in their day-to-day lives. Irrepressible Babymouse shows that diligence and patience can result in good consequences in one’s life, thereby encouraging readers to do the same, to stick with it even if they experience difficulty. Voiceovers from the narrator keep the story on track, encouraging Babymouse and occasionally teasing her, providing more humor. 

The graphics are playfully pink, black and white, lending a great deal of energy to the story. The illustrations add to the humor and enjoyment of the book as they express the emotions of the various characters, such as joy, frustration, resignation, hope, love, and trepidation. All of the incorporated musicals are drawn in their representative styles adding a variety of imaginative settings to the story. The inclusion of the wide assortment of musicals will have readers singing along to their favorite show tunes, making for a rollicking, fun reading experience. 

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

Starred review from Horn Book: “Nobody puts Babymouse in the corner.”

Review from Booklist: “Cute, smart, sassy Babymouse is fun and funny.”

5. CONNECTIONS

*Have students perform Reader’s Theater over various parts of the book, especially their favorite musical parts.

*Have students read some of the other Babymouse books. There are thirteen in the series. Have students create their own Babymouse styled comic books or graphic novels. 

*Other graphic novels appealing to the elementary age group (and beyond):

Bruel, Nick. Bad Kitty. ISBN 1596430699 (is part of a series)

Holm, Jennifer and Matthew Holm. Squish. ISBN 0375843892 (is part of a series)

Kinney, Jeff. Diary of a Wimpy Kid. ISBN 0810993139 (is part of a series)