ISBN 0 86163 038 6
© Award Publications Limited 1982
Spring House, Spring Place
London NW5, England
Reprinted 1982-83-84
Printed in Hungary
This vintage picture book retelling of the Aesop fable "The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse" was illustrated by Rene Cloke and published by Award in 1982 as part of their Storytime Library series. For a list of the other books in the Storytime Library series (and links to my reviews), see Storytime Library Series.
Like the other books in the series, this picture book is a large hardcover book of approximately 33 by 23 cm. It has a beautiful blue cover, a background to a solid black font title and a front cover image showing the two mice in each of the settings of the story: perched atop a stalk of wheat in the countryside, and walking arm-in-arm before a church and town buildings. The back cover shows them from behind:
Note that none of the front cover images occur in the book.
The endpapers are the same as those used for the Brer Rabbit stories in the Storytime Library series – that is, showing images of Brer Rabbit and other characters from those stories, along with English woodland animals like red squirrels, a great tit, and harvest mice.
Unlike the other books in the series, the front loose endpaper has no bookplate image, just a blank page with copyright details at the bottom.
The title page features the original of the image captured on the back cover, but in larger form, showing the two mice walking off into the sunset through an archway of trees, a country road and fields before them.
As with the other books in the series, no author is attributed but it is highly likely that the story was written by Rene Cloke, as we know that she retold the Brer Rabbit stories in this series, and the writing seems in her style.
The story is told over 16 pages, with illustrations and text combined on each page. Aside from a small image on the first page of the town mouse reading a letter, the first 10 pages detail the countryside setting, the next 5 are set in the town, and the final page is back to the countryside.
The story
"The Town Mouse and The Country Mouse" was a well-known fable in classical times and popular in medieval Europe, so is widely spread with many versions. It is not only categorised as fable number 352 in the Perry Index¹ of Aesop's fables but type 112 in the Aarne-Thompson folktale index.²
In this retelling, the Country Mouse invites the Town Mouse to visit, noting the value of the country air, the beautiful scenery, and the nourishing country food. There are hints of criticism of town living in the Country Mouse's letter, as he notes "the country air will do you good" and the country food "will be a pleasant change after your usual rich diet".
The Town Mouse doesn't hesitate to visit, packing his bag and his "umbrella, for he never went very far without it". He finds the "rough lanes rather uncomfortable for walking" and isn't too pleased with getting muddy feet. His journey is full of "surprise" and "astonishment" at flowers, ducks, and a "live rabbit" (his thoughts are food-focused on all three).
When he reaches the Country Mouse's cottage, "a snug little nest in a cornfield", he wonders if it is safe to climb up there. The Country Mouse again makes a little dig at town life, when he tells him to "hang your umbrella on a cornstalk – you won't want it here!" (Apparently cities get more rain than the countryside – it's a real phenomenon, recognised as early as the 19th century).
The Country Mouse "proudly" shows his friend about his home, including the cupboard where he keeps his "store of food", his "brush and dust-pan", the "little peg" for his clothes to hang from, and his "bed of hay clippings", with an extra bed made up for his guest.
The Town Mouse thought it was all rather small and cramped but, as he was a visitor, he just nodded and said – "Very neatly and comfortably arranged."
The Country Mouse has a "toadstool table", which he covers in "a little check table-cloth". He offers his guest a slice of apple and they share "two rather dry peas", drink from two acorn cups of water. It is "with great pride" that he shares an ear of corn.
The Town Mouse thought that it looked a very poor meal for two people but he was too polite to say so.
The Town Mouse is still hungry afterwards but the Country Mouse notes that "apple and corn at the same meal is rather special" and offers "a stroll across the fields before bedtime" to help him sleep well.
The Town Mouse considered that he had had quite enough fresh air but thought it would be bad manners to say so.
When the Country Mouse points out butterflies and dragonflies, the Town Mouse tries to align these (or perhaps best his country friend) with tales of cars and buses. But he is frightened by the "friendly cow" they meet, despite the Country Mouse's reassurances that there is nothing to fear. In the morning, after what he perceives to be "a poor sort of breakfast", he hastens to head home. The Country Mouse is disappointed as he hadn't yet shown the Town Mouse "the view from the top of the haystack" or "the river where the kingfisher and the water vole live". But when the Town Mouse offers to return his hospitality immediately, the Country Mouse agrees to go, thinking "[t]his sounded most exciting".
They have to be careful of cats and dogs on the way, and the Country Mouse is "scared at the traffic", and then at an overheard threat by the house cook to set a trap for mice. He joins the Town Mouse and other mice for a banquet after midnight in the larder but finds the food too rich and has little appetite due to nerves. When the cat comes in he hastens home.
There are no distinct morals drawn at the end of the story, but the Country Mouse's thoughts align with Aesop's fable –
"This life wouldn't suit me... it may be full of thrills and excitements and there is certainly plenty to eat, but I prefer a quiet life without so many dangers ... I shall never want to roam again!"
The narrative ends on the Country Mouse's relief to be home and his reflection on the beauty of the countryside.
The story emphasises how good manners require a guest to pretend to be comfortable, regardless of any potential discomfort they may feel at how different their new environment is to their usual (and preferred) ways. The Town Mouse deals very kindly with the Country Mouse, "not wanting to hurt his friend's feelings" or show "bad manners", despite his discomfort and distaste for the the country environment. Inversely, the Country Mouse is uncomfortable with the town environment, but he doesn't put up quite such a good pretense, hightailing it home without even spending the night.
Each mouse feels fear at being out of their comfort zone, but only the town is shown to be truly unsafe, and the quiet life of the countryside is hailed as to be preferred. (There are no birds of prey or other threats in this idyllic woodland!)
The illustrations
Rene Cloke's illustrations of the English countryside are delightful, and this book plays to that strength, with most of the illustrations set rurally.The images of town are at night, the buildings a washed out green (in watercolour). Despite the Victorian styles of the mice, the town is clearly modern, featuring cars, and the house cook wearing 1970s-style plaid pants.
Summary
The story was also republished, as a standalone story, in 1995 by Award:
Footnotes
¹ The Perry Index is a widely used index of the fables attributed to Aesop, published in 1952 by American scholar Ben Edwin Perry. Perry indexed the fables chronologically, according to the earliest known historical sources. Numbers 1-584 were based on ancient Greek and Roman manuscripts and numbers 585+ represented later adaptations, non-Greek variants, or tales added during the medieval or Renaissance periods.
² Tale types are a way of classifying fairy tales and folk tales that have the same characteristics. For more information, see Aarne-Thompson-Uther Index (Wikipedia).
³ Fun fact: Capotains (also known as pilgrim hats) apparently never had their iconic buckles. This was a later Victorian invention.
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