Mouse Guard, by David Petersen

Title: Mouse Guard: Fall 1152

Author/Illustrator: David Petersen

Publisher: Archaia Studios Press

Year: 2007

Category: Graphic Novel

Genre: Fantasy Adventure

Awards & Honors:

2008 Eisner Award—Best Publication for Kids

(The Eisner Awards are considered “The “Oscars” of the Comics Industry)

2008 Great Graphic Novel for Teens as named by YALSA

Mouse Guard: Fall 1152 is a hardbound collection of six episodes or chapters that were originally published as single comics. The story centers around three mice, Lieam, Saxon, and Kenzie, who serve in a Guard that protects mice from danger, such as predators, etc. and they uncover a traitorous plot. This is the story of their adventures to find the traitor and uncover the plans that endanger their home city of Lockhaven.

Uses for the classroom:

This graphic novel is recommended for children ages 10 and up, so it covers the younger spectrum of literature that we are dealing with in this class. I felt it was appropriate because it is a wonderful introduction to graphic novels, with wide appeal to boys and girls, with a story that rings familiar. It is like the Three Musketeers mixed with Redwall and a little Rats of NIMH. The illustrations are beautiful and support the story’s fantasy with a serious tone. In the classroom, I believe it would serve as a wonderful introduction to the format and style of graphic novels. The author, David Petersen, is actually also the illustrator, which provides a wonderful partnership between the story and the graphic elements of the work. I would use it to help teach students how to go about reading graphic novels—order of reading the panes, use of art to further the plot, etc. I might have them reproduce the story in another format such as having them retell the plot as an oral story or reproduce the story as a children’s book. I would also teach them how to “read” the artwork in the story because there are many instances where no words are used; rather the artwork carries the narrative and the reader must interpret and intertwine the narration with the accompanying illustrations. This book could be compared/contrasted to familiar story lines such as The Three Musketeers and the three main characters could be pulled out of the story and examined on their individual traits. Students might also compare the mouse world with their knowledge of 12^th century human society and note the similarities and differences in language, culture and society. This graphic novel is the first in a series of adventures about these honorable mice and their 12^th century world, so students who like it may keep reading further episodes.