Herman the Great

By Zora Louise Olsen

Herman, the mouse who can talk! Herman, the prize-winning mouse artist! Herman, the first (and only) mouse to fly a plane across the USA! Herman, the television star! Herman the Great! You will never... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0590098071
• ISBN13: 9780590098076
• Release Date: January 1973
• Publisher: Scholastic Inc
• Length: 128 Pages
• Weight: 0.28 lbs.

Customer Reviews

HERMAN THE GREAT

Herman is a mouse who can talk, fly a model plane from New York to California and is an artist! He started out in a pet store and was bought by a boy named Marc and was happy living with him. After the plane flight Herman was on TV! I like when Herman sees his family again. This book is like Stuart Little. I think this is weird because it is like Stuart little. If you want to find what happened in complete detail go to your bookstore to find out.

A cute story for middle readers

Herman is not your typical pet mouse, so as a result this will not be your typical boy-and-his-pet story. Herman learns a lesson in every chapter about his perception in the world. Herman is much like a small child experiencing everything for the first time. It is through his thoughts and expressions that these experiences are realized. From the moment he is able to see, Herman is aware that his world is where some will like him and some will not. His expression and demeanor sets him aside from all his other siblings, but not released from his mother's nagging and reminders. Marc, Herman's owner, is a forthright youngster and very parental in his determination to help Herman achieve his goals. Without ever being condescending, Marc also is still a boy and not an adult realizing his own limitations, but loves Herman unconditionally. Marc shares his world with Herman and is eager for Herman to share in what Marc knows. Marc is as imaginative and empathetic as Herman and very much an advocate for Herman as he explores the world that they both know. There may be some concern over Marc's parents as they are written in very 'dated' rolls (much like June and Ward Cleaver), but that provides an introductory conversation (for those willing) of how society has changed. Though Marc's mother stays at home, she is an artist who paints for her own profit; Marc's father is a scale model builder of new types of engines. They too experience Herman and are not only humored by Herman's curiosity and desires, but also participate in making them possible. Herman the Great is a good book to read to a child under the age of seven or a good starter book for children ready to make the leap from basic chapter books into a little harder chapter book. I would also consider this book a pre-cursor, or a follow up to the Mouse and the Motor Cycle Series by Beverly Clearly.