The Tale of Despereaux

The Tale of Despereaux: being the story of a mouse, a princess, some soup, and a spool of thread. By Kate DiCamillo. Illustrated by Timothy Basil Ering. Candlewick Press, 2003. 272 pages. Tr. $17.99 ISBN 978-0-7636-1722-6

Summary: Despereaux is the last mouse born to his parents, and the only surviving mouse of the final birth. His brothers and sisters tease him for his abnormally large ears and unusual, un-mouse like behavior. He prefers to read rather than eat book pages, for example. His affinity towards music also leads him towards dangerous acts, as he ventures to hear music performed by the Princess Pea and her father, the King. Despereaux’s father is ashamed at his son’s behavior, and calls the Mouse Council to help. Despereaux’s refusal to apologize for his behavior sends him to the dungeons, where he is expected to face an almost certain death. Magically Despereaux is saved. Instead of being eaten by dungeon rats, Despereaux’s passion for stories makes him an asset to the jailor, Gregory, who protects the young mouse from danger in exchange for stories. In the dungeon, we meet another unusual animal, a young rat named Chiaroscuro. His family members encourage him to terrify prisoners, however, Chiaroscuro only finds pleasure upstairs in the palace, and longs for the beauty and serenity available there. Unfortunately his upstairs romp results in tragedy, as the Queen realizes that a rat is eating from her bowl of soup, and perishes on the spot. Chiaroscuro returns to the dungeons with an ulterior motive; his purpose in life is now to seek revenge on the Princess Pea for humiliating him. He establishes a friendship with a young serving girl named Miggery Sow. Sow’s tale is unique also. Her father sold her for a bit of fabric to an abusive master who daily boxed her ears, turning them into a cauliflower shape and causing her to almost lose her hearing. Miggory Sow dreams of becoming a princess, too, and Chiaroscuro, longing to seek revenge on the Princess Pea, selfishly uses her for his plan. Despereaux loves the Princess Pea, and learning of Chiaroscuro’s nefarious plot, returns to the dungeon to save her from harm.

Critical Review: DiCamillo’s engaging prose magically recreates the magic of fairy tales.  Timothy Basil Ering’s black-and-white drawings beautifully accompany the text, bringing The Tale of Despereaux to life. Children are taught that differences are respectable, even desirable, and that the potential is always there to forgive others’ transgressions. We should always respect our accomplishments, and listen to our inner voices. Differences are indeed beautiful.

Genre: Fantasy

Reading/Interest Level: 8-12 years

Awards: Newbery Award, 2004; Publisher’s Weekly Best Children’s Book, 2003; American Library Association Notable Books for Children, 2004; Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children’s Book Award, 2005; Charlie May Simon Children’s Book Award, 2006

Reviews: School Library Journal (October 1, 2004), Publisher’s Weekly (November 10, 2003), Voice of Youth Advocates (October 1, 2003)

Series: Tale of Despereaux Series

Similar Materials: Kate DiCamillo’s The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane; Robert C. O Brien’s Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH; George Selden’s The Cricket in Times Square; William Wise’s Christopher Mouse: The Tale of a Small Traveler; E.B. White’s Stuart Little; Lynne Jonell’s Emmy and the Incredible Shrinking Rat; Dick King-Smith’s The School Mouse

Subjects/Themes: Fairy Tales/Folklore, Animal Stories

Character Names: Despereaux; Chiaroscuro (aka Roscuro); Miggory Sow; Princess Pea; Botticelli Remorso; Gregory (the jailor); Lester Tilling (Despereaux’s father); Antoinette Tilling (Despereaux’s mother); Furlough Tilling (one of Despereaux’s older brothers)

Author Website: http://www.katedicamillo.com/

Illustrator Website: http://www.timothybasileringart.com/home.htm

Brief Annotation: A mouse who loves stories and songs meets a rat who wishes he was a mouse, and a girl who longs to become a princess, in this Newbery-Award winning novel.