Synopsis
Morris the mole goes to the farm expecting to find love right in front of his nose, but moles don't see very well and what he finds at the end of nose isn't quite the love he was expecting. Is Morris destined to live his life alone without love? Great Valentine's Day fare for ages 3-7
Children's Literature
Morris the Mole, delighted at the arrival of spring, goes in search of someone to love. Although hampered by poor eyesight, Morris is sure he knows just what he is seeking. But the "Luscious Shiny Black Fur" he finds to love, unfortunately, is a horse that blows him away. "The Pretty Pink Nose" belongs to a pig that rolls him in the mud. The "Gorgeous Big Wide Feet" of a duck also send him tumbling. Depressed, Morris sits on his molehill. Fortunately he is then given a pair of glasses. Through them he can see that he has found his love at last, or she has found him. The tale unfolds in a simple theme and variations format as our appealing mole hero first finds one of his sought-for characteristics, and then gets pushed away only to find another candidate. The scenes represent the farmyard life appealingly; the several animals are created naturalistically. Morris is, however, quite anthropomorphic in both appearance and actions. Beardshaw uses opaque paints loosely to create the lighthearted adventure. The cutouts in the cover of the paper edition add appeal, as do the end pages of the hardback. Reviewer: Ken Marantz and Sylvia Marantz