The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo is a very enjoyable book to read. Although it is longer than many other chapter books I have read for this class, it only took 2 days to read it in its entirety because the story was intriguing.
This is the story of a mouse by the name of Despereaux who is by all accounts the runt of his family. He is looked down upon by all the other mice in the mouse community because of his stature and how odd he is. Even though he is frequently ridiculed by other mice Despereaux dreams of being a knight in shining armor and lives by his own standards (which happen to be very different from other mice).
This book is divided into four separate parts and the first book deals with the birth of Despereaux and his meeting with the princess who he falls in love with. The second book tells the story of a rat by the name of Chiaroscuro who lives in the dungeon which is where Despereaux is sent when the mouse community finds out that he has made himself visible to a human (Princess Pea). The third book tells the tale of a young servant girl by the name of Miggery Sow who will ultimately play a part in the kidnapping of the princess. And the last book ties all three previous books together so that the reader can see how Despereaux, Chiaroscuro and Miggery all come to be in the same story.
In the fourth book Despereaux is drawn by his love to return to the dungeons and save the Princess where she is being held captive. I think this is a delightful story reminiscent of a fairytale that begins with “Once Upon a Time” and ends with “Happily Ever After”. As I have said in some of my other book reviews that the books are completely unbelievable, so is this one, but it so far from the truth that it is enjoyable because I did not have to wonder whether the author actually intended the audience to believe her story. I know that rats and mice do not talk so I do not have to question the authenticity of this book, I can see it for what it truly is: a make-believe story.
One of the reasons that I liked this book so much has to with the fact that it was a very relaxing read. I finished up work for the summer yesterday which happened to be a very long, hard day and it was wonderful to come home and have nothing to do except read an imaginative children’s book. I have been so worn out with finishing up schoolwork for my job that I relished the idea of sitting on the sofa and reading for hours on end a made up story.
This is the story of a mouse by the name of Despereaux who is by all accounts the runt of his family. He is looked down upon by all the other mice in the mouse community because of his stature and how odd he is. Even though he is frequently ridiculed by other mice Despereaux dreams of being a knight in shining armor and lives by his own standards (which happen to be very different from other mice).
This book is divided into four separate parts and the first book deals with the birth of Despereaux and his meeting with the princess who he falls in love with. The second book tells the story of a rat by the name of Chiaroscuro who lives in the dungeon which is where Despereaux is sent when the mouse community finds out that he has made himself visible to a human (Princess Pea). The third book tells the tale of a young servant girl by the name of Miggery Sow who will ultimately play a part in the kidnapping of the princess. And the last book ties all three previous books together so that the reader can see how Despereaux, Chiaroscuro and Miggery all come to be in the same story.
In the fourth book Despereaux is drawn by his love to return to the dungeons and save the Princess where she is being held captive. I think this is a delightful story reminiscent of a fairytale that begins with “Once Upon a Time” and ends with “Happily Ever After”. As I have said in some of my other book reviews that the books are completely unbelievable, so is this one, but it so far from the truth that it is enjoyable because I did not have to wonder whether the author actually intended the audience to believe her story. I know that rats and mice do not talk so I do not have to question the authenticity of this book, I can see it for what it truly is: a make-believe story.
One of the reasons that I liked this book so much has to with the fact that it was a very relaxing read. I finished up work for the summer yesterday which happened to be a very long, hard day and it was wonderful to come home and have nothing to do except read an imaginative children’s book. I have been so worn out with finishing up schoolwork for my job that I relished the idea of sitting on the sofa and reading for hours on end a made up story.
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