Hermelin: The Detective Mouse by Mini Grey (review)

Our mouse hero’s earliest memory is awakening in his cheese box nest and reading his name, Hermelin, on the lid. Finding a lovely little hidey hole in an attic, Hermelin realizes he can type on an old typewriter there, and his instinctive abilities to read and type lead him to believe he is destined for great things. His mission becomes clear the day he peers through toy binoculars at a row of houses, observing details that become critical in solving a host of mysteries on the block. Solving the puzzles may mark Hermelin’s (and readers’) moment of triumph, but his heroism isn’t so easily rewarded: when he attends a thank-you party in honor of his crime-solving and reveals himself as a rodent, he learns the sad truth that rodents are considered household pests. Happily, the owner of the attic is a bit of a detective herself and not only makes her guest welcome but invites him to join her as a team of private investigators, priming for sequels we trust are forthcoming. Viewers will delight in being one step ahead of Hermelin in solving each mini case, having undoubtedly noticed vital clues embedded in the two opening scenes of domestic activities on Offley Street. Grey, acknowledged maven of the significant detail (as in Traction Man, BCCB 5/05), not only creates a charming miniature world for Hermelin’s comfort but also manages to give him a chiseled jaw and noble bearing in comical contrast to the hapless humans. This British import will be a hit with children taking their first steps into the mystery genre.