WHERE'S MOMMY?

WHERE'S MOMMY? book cover

Schwartz & Wade 2014
Written by Beverly Donofrio
Illustrated by Barbara McClintock

Maria and Mouse Mouse live in the same house. Maria lives upstairs. Mouse Mouse lives downstairs. And though their families don't know it, they are best friends. One evening at bedtime, Maria can't find her mom. And Mouse Mouse can't find her mommy. Turn the pages of this book and watch Maria and Mouse Mouse search high and low, inside and outside, until…you'll never guess what they discover!

*New York Times 10 Best Illustrated Books of 2014 Award
*Publisher's Weekly starred review
*Huffington Post Best Picture Books of 2014 honorable mention.


Donofrio and McClintock offer this companion to 2007’s Mary and the Mouse, the Mouse and Mary that’s every bit as charming as its predecessor. Fans of the original book will revel in the resolution (and the abundance of visual hints), yet the story is no less delightful for newcomers.
(Ages 3-7)

"McClintock pictures the cozy, twinned environments in low-lit panels, and her eggshell-white backgrounds and uncluttered pages allow a pleasurable comparison of human and nonhuman habitats (whereas Maria stands on a stool at the kitchen counter, Mouse Mouse’s chairs are jam jars and pill bottles around a plastic berry container). Fans of the original book will revel in the resolution (and the abundance of visual hints), yet the story is no less delightful for newcomers." — Starred, Publishers Weekly

"Simple text deftly delineates the similarities between each girl’s mommy-hunt while gloriously detailed illustrations capturing the action appear side by side or in top-and-bottom panels. Tension builds—just enough so that tots’ anxiety quickly turns to delicious anticipation as they begin to guess that maybe the mommies are going to be found…together! The moment of joint discovery is a delightful full-bleed, double-page spread of the two generations together. For those who have read Mary and the Mouse, the Mouse and Mary (2007), this is an especially satisfying culmination of the larger story." — Kirkus

"Maria and a young mouse are secret friends living parallel lives in a sprawling home. Everything Maria does with her human family, Mouse Mouse does with her family, who live below the floorboards. But the child knows that if she tells her parents about Mouse Mouse, they will get a cat to get rid of the mice, and Mouse Mouse knows that if she lets her parents know that she’s friends with Maria, they will flee to a hole in the ground. One night, both mothers disappear. After a search of the house, the girls are surprised to find their mothers chatting like old friends in the shed. The story is charming in its simplicity, but it’s the detailed pen and ink and watercolor illustrations showcasing the little details of suburban living that set this book apart. From the pictures on the wall and the toys scattered in the yard to the games and books in the living room, these images have plenty to offer, and readers will enjoy the rewards of looking at the pictures again and again." — School Library Journal

"This is an upstairs/downstairs story of friendship between Maria, a sweet little girl, and rodent Mouse Mouse. Their friendship is a secret, but their lives share many similarities as McClintock’s busy, colorful illustrations demonstrate. Large two-page spreads are divided horizontally to show the warm surroundings and the stuff that makes a cozy human home—plants, lamps, pillows, pictures, books—many of which are duplicated on the bottom half in equally cozy mouse digs. Maria reads on the living room floor, Mouse Mouse reads curled up in a can. They even have matching slippers at the sides of their beds (Maria’s is a spool bed, Mouse Mouse’s is made of clothes pins). It is these details, rendered in pen and ink, watercolor and gouache, that will engage young readers as they pore over both worlds, comparing furniture, mobiles, and nighttime rituals. When their mothers go missing, both are frantic until the mystery is solved with a BIG and very satisfying surprise." — Booklist

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