In Hamburg lives an extraordinary little mouse. One day, she notices that it has become dangerous where she lives. Mousetraps and cats are lurking everywhere. Little by little, her mouse friends are disappearing. But where have they fled to? To America? The little mouse decides to brave the long journey across the Atlantic. For nights on end, she tinkers with an airplane. A wild adventure begins!!
It never hurts to have your nose in a book! This is also true for the little mouse who prefers to spend her time in libraries. But one day, when she emerges from her dusty hiding place, all the other mice have vanished, driven away by a deadly new invention called the mousetrap. Did they perhaps emigrate to America, where a large statue supposedly welcomes all new arrivals? And how is the little mouse supposed to get there? Her winged bat relatives provide the brilliant idea – and thus begins an airplane-construction adventure that requires all sorts of materials and a whole lot of mouse ingenuity ...
A mouse as a flight pioneer? In this lovingly designed picture book, with multi-layered, witty, and intricately detailed collages in the style of old photos and newspaper reports, the history of aviation comes to life. And the Atlantic crossing of the heart-warmingly courageous hero naturally becomes the inspiration for the aeronautical feat of a certain Charles Lindbergh. Proficient readers can read the short chapters themselves; others might perhaps only decipher letters or words from article headlines. You can read the story aloud or let the children tell the story based on the pictures. Concise factual information can be found in the appendix, and ideas for follow-up projects are just waiting to be picked up!
(Leipzig Reading Compass 2014)
