Through the Looking Glass Children's Book Reviews
Pip in the Grand Hotel
Illustrator: Daniel Muller
Picture Book
For ages 4 to 6
NorthSouth, 2009 ISBN: 978-0735822252
Mary has a new pet mouse who is called Pip, and she is eager to introduce him to her friends. Unfortunately, when she open the box that Pip lives in, the little gray mouse hops out and dashes towards the doors of the Grand Hotel. The doorman is convinced that Pip could not have got by him, but it soon becomes clear that he is wrong.
In the main lobby of the hotel, the children see all kinds of people, many of whom clearly come from distant places. The hotel manager is appalled when Mary explains that she is looking for her pet mouse. As for as he is concerned having a mouse in his elegant and posh hotel is a “Disaster!” Then one of Mary’s friends sees Pip running along one of the steps in the lobby, and soon the children (and the hotel manager) are following him into the hotel kitchen.
The kitchen is packed with people who are all busy doing something. Kitchen assistants are chopping and prepping food, chefs are tasting food, and through this scene of organized chaos runs Pip, the children, and the hotel manager.
Children are going to love this large format picture book with its wonderfully detailed illustrations. They will enjoy trying to find Pip hiding in the art, and will appreciate how everything works out in the end, especially when they see how Mary and her friends get the better of the fussy hotel manager.
