As he does have a slight mischievous streak, he thoroughly enjoyed the lady of the house screaming at the sight of Alexander, but the lizard was his very favourite part of the book. I was delighted to see that he enjoyed the story as much as I did. I enjoyed reading this to my son as much as I enjoyed listening to it as a child.

Considering the number of books I went through as a child, it is quite a compliment to the author's ability that I would remember it so many years later. I can still remember a teacher reading this to us in school when I was perhaps 5 years of age. He chooses to be unselfish, and in so doing he finds the one thing he has wanted most of all - the love of a true friend. Alexander must choose between making a wish for himself, and saving his only friend. The child has had a birthday party and discarded Willy in favour of the new toys. When at last he finds his stone, disaster strikes. More than anything else, Alexander wants to be loved, so he goes on a quest for a magic pebble that will allow him one wish. He knows Willy cannot even move without his key being wound, but Willy is loved by the child in the house while Alexander is feared and despised by the humans. Alexander wants nothing more than to be a wind-up mouse just like Willy.

Alexander is a real mouse, but his only friend is wind up mouse Willy.

He wrote books that fed the soul.Īlexander and the Windup Mouse was first published in 1969. In my opinion, Lionni was one of the best children's authors of all time. They seem to have captured all the yearning for peace of the era in which they were written, and the very best of human emotions without ever being preachy or twee. His stories are always fun and entertaining, but they carry messages of hope and kindness as well. Lionni had perfectly captured the magic of collage-style illustrations years before Eric Carle came onto the scene, and has such beautiful, timeless stories. After having spent a fortune tracking down two out of print books of his, I am overjoyed to find one of his wonderful books is once again in print. Leo Lionni began writing children's books in the early '60s and many of his were childhood favourites of mine. When I saw Leo Lionni's name on this book, I couldn't snatch it up quickly enough. Summary: A lovely story of friendship, hope and accepting yourself as you are.

Alexander the wind up mouse