Gustave

A little mouse and his friend, Gustave, go out to play one afternoon in this darkly comic story about the sadness of losing a friend and the joy of making a new one.

The mouse’s mother has always warned the young friends not to stray too far from home. There is a cat, she says, and it is dangerous to go far away.

But danger doesn’t stop this curious pair, and soon they find themselves face-to-face with their big blue-eyed enemy. In a feat of bravery, Gustave allows his friend the chance to escape — but is gobbled up by the cat in the process. Heartbroken, the little mouse must return home — without his friend — and tell his mother what has happened.

A sweet surprise ending turns this melancholy tale of friendship into a strangely funny book.

PIERRE PRATT has illustrated more than eighty books for children. He has won the Golden Apple and Plaque at the Biennial of Illustrations in Bratislava, the UNICEF Prize in Bologna and a Totem at the Montreuil Salon du Livre in France. Other awards include the TD Canadian Children’s Literature Award, the Governor General’s Award (three times) and the Elizabeth Mrazik-Cleaver Award (twice). He has also been nominated for the Hans Christian Andersen Award. Pierre lives in Montreal, Quebec and Lisbon, Portugal.

SHELLEY TANAKA is an award-winning author, translator and editor who has written and translated more than forty books for children and young adults. She is faculty emerita at Vermont College of Fine Arts in the MFA Program in Writing for Children and Young Adults. Shelley lives in Kingston, Ontario.

“No artificial sweeteners here: the fear is real, but so is Mommy’s ability to make things better . . . at least for now.” — BookDragon

“Uncompromisingly honest . . . Strikingly illustrated in a painterly style reminiscent of Whistler's nightscapes.” — Kirkus Reviews

“Some readers, taking a longer view, will find Simard’s parody of a child’s sense of crisis downright funny.” — Publishers Weekly

“A darkly comic story. . . . Gustave is a marvellous marriage of text and illustration.” — CM Magazine