MRS MOLE, I’M HOME! is the story of Morris Mole’s attempt to get home after losing his glasses. I was introduced to the book at a conference last year and just had to buy it, it’s now one of our favourite picture books. The simple repetitive text coupled with humorous illustrations really makes us laugh.
The Story: Morris has had a long day at work and just wants to get home to his family. But getting home is complicated by the fact that he has lost his glasses. Morris manages to burrow his way into several different animal homes before finding his family. But will he also find his glasses?
Morris is exhausted after a day working in Gordon Ratzy’s restaurant which is why he doesn’t realise that he has only misplaced his glasses. The running joke throughout the story is that the readers can see his glasses in all the illustrations! Morris’ journey home is extremely eventful, we find it hilarious that he manages to pop up in such a variety of environments including Antarctica and a swamp!
MRS MOLE, I’M HOME! introduces us to a variety of different creatures and Jarvis’ earthy coloured illustrations capture the different atmospheres perfectly. The animals and the situations that they are in become slightly more outrageous as the story progresses and we absolutely love the final page which shows Morris (despite promising he’ll never lose his glasses again) popping up in front of a very fierce creature! It’s really difficult to choose our favourite illustrations but as owl lovers we chose this one.
The wordplay throughout the book, but especially the titles of the books that the owls are reading, is brilliant (our favourite book title is Owliver Twist!). We also find it funny that Morris hugs an item of furniture when he finally gets home (thinking that it’s his wife!) and the Mole family’s supper sounds delicious (but probably only if you are a mole!). Two little worms, not mentioned in the text, join Morris as he tries to get home, we love looking for them as we read, they change their hats in each picture!
The text is simple and repetitive which makes this a great book for a beginner reader who can use picture clues to help decode words. It’s also a fun story to read to non native English speakers who will easily be able to follow the action through the pictures.
MRS MOLE, I’M HOME! appeals to all ages, from the littlest of people, who can easily follow the repetition in the text, to adults, who will appreciate the wordplay in the illustrations. We’re sure that everybody will enjoy the joke that Morris hasn’t actually lost his glasses…
Age Range: 2 +
Author / Illustrator: Jarvis
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