Mahalia Mouse Goes to College: Book and CD

Mahalia Mouse and her family live underneath Dunster House, an old Harvard dormitory. Foraging for food for her younger brothers and sisters, Mahalia gets trapped in a backpack and then finds herself inside a classroom far from home. Mahalia, intrigued by the lecture, starts attending classes and soon becomes a full-time student — all the while wondering about the fate of her family. But when graduation day finally arrives, Mahalia has a wonderful surprise waiting for her.

Written as part of his keynote address at Harvard's commencement, this latest book from John Lithgow (class of '67) incorporates his trademark witty rhymes and includes a CD of him reading the text at the commencement. Mahalia's story has an inspiring message for graduates or anyone whose success is worthy of celebration.

Publishers Weekly

As he did in Micawber, about an art-loving squirrel, Lithgow presents another tale of an anthropomorphized critter craving culture. This time, it's the lure of higher education that captures the fancy of a brave, starving mouse who, following the scent of cheese, inadvertently becomes a stowaway in a college student's backpack. (Lithgow wrote the text as part of his keynote address to his alma mater's Harvard College graduating class of 2005; a CD recording of it is included.) After finding herself in a lecture hall, Mahalia becomes "professor's pet" when the instructor discovers her class notes, which clearly indicate genius tendencies. Much like the other selections in Lithgow's children's book repertoire, the adventure unfolds in musical-sounding verse, but here, because of the dire circumstances of Mahalia's family, the singsong tone seems inappropriate (e.g., "Tormented by fears of a grim holocaust,/ She pictured her home and her family lost!"). Readers willing to buy into the fantasy of a mouse-sized laptop, bookbag and graduation cap and gown may enjoy exploring Oleynikov's striking mixed-media illustrations from a mouse's viewpoint (and set on a slightly impressionistic campus recognizable to those who have visited Cambridge, Mass.). But Mahalia's determination to earn a degree works better as a quirky segment of Lithgow's commencement speech than as a picture book text, and may leave some young readers puzzled. Ages 4-8. (Mar.)

John Lithgow is the New York Times bestselling author of Micawber, Marsupial Sue, The Remarkable Farkle McBride, and Carnival of the Animals. An award-winning actor, he has starred on stage, film, and television. He performs concerts across the country, and has recorded the CDs Farkle and Friends and Singin' in the Bathtub. Visit John at lithgowpalooza.com.

Igor Oleynikov worked as an assistant at an animation studio in Russia, and became the art director there. He has illustrated a number of children's books that were published in Europe, and his artwork was featured at the 2004 Bologna Children's Book Fair. Igor Oleynikov lives in Moscow.