Like most of Hoban's other work, this book is both out of print and very hard to find even by the usual methods of obtaining used books. A real pitty given that 'Moment' is a unique entry in Hoban's collective output. Putting several short stories, a liberetto and several essays all under one cover, 'Moment' works like an overview. While each of his books seems to stress a particular theme that has gotten under his skin for that particular outing, 'Moment' is the whole idea of Hoban. The short stories are representative of most of his adult writing, often showing how certain thought patterns evolved into his longer works, while the essays, which are passionately written, really put you inside Mr. Hoban's head and are often of historical and biographical interest (as well as simply being fascinating to read). After reading 'Moment', I find that it an important companion piece to his other work, and am greatly dissapointed that it is so hard to acquire. To make up for this however, Indiana press will be publishing parts of 'Moment' in the Hoban Omnibus due Dec 99.

My kids thoroughly enjoyed this book. i think all parents should purchase this item and use frequently. Their kids will never again be afraid of monsters. They will see that inside everything is kind and easy to draw for that matter.

This children's book teaches children (and adults) to use their imaginations to create their own fun and avoid boredom. Frances's parent teaches him to carry a stone around in his pocket so that when he is bored with "nothing to do," he can rub the stone and concentrate until he has an idea of something fun to do. Frances finds that this idea works for him and teaches the technique to his little sister.

In these days of constant stimulation via video games, television, music, and other media, children still find themselves "bored." This book reminds them that their imaginations are the best tools for life. It also teaches them self-reliance--rather than dependence upon adults for solutions to their problems.

I became acquainted with this book in 1969 after discovering it in one of my sisters' rooms. I read it and presented the story to my high school speech class for a grade. It was quite a hit with my classmates and I received an A on my speech. It's well worth reading, if you can find it, and deserves a reprint for this generation of "bored" children and adults.

Hoban's adult work (which consists are far too few books) is among some of the most brilliant literature I have read, and Riddley Walker and Pilgermann are my favorites. Perhaps less comprehensible then RW, Pilgermann is a narrative of the perpetual quest for that which is unattainable (and this is far too simplistic an explanation for an author who clearly burns through Jung for pleasure reading). The story beings centuries after the main character has died (but continues to exist in one form or another) and recounts his attempts at making a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. I am leaving out far too much because the story is filled with a dark and unexplainable nature that sometimes comes out as terribly violent, cruel, or simply boggling. The narrator of course is sidetracked in his quest, sold into slavery (he is made a eunich too incidentally), but at last comes to a certain acceptance of the moment, despite his own wish to continue along on his journey. The story becomes caught up in the construction of 'hidden lion', a massive tile design which becomes a sacred object to the community. From here, Hoban analyses one of his most haunting themes--that of the sacred entering into the common place, it's dilution, and finally it's inevitable desicration. It would be a spoiler to say that much more of the plot itself, but in style the books reads very much as some apocryphal Christian work. There is much citing from the Quran and the book includes a 'reference' page of biblical and other religious references. Ultimately though, Pilergmann is the strangest religiously grounded work I have ever read, making Gnostic works which freaked out Philip K. Dick so much seem comparitively normal. At it's best, Pilgermann captures the hopes and fears of the all-too-small human animal who has only mistakenly assumed that he has the world under his control.

While Hoban's two other entries that resemble this one (Marzipan Pig, La Corona) are both out of print, the good folks at Candlewick press have republished this beautiful book, complete with new illustrations.

It may be debated by some that the old edition of this book, sparsely decorated with b&w sketches perhaps captured the spirit of the story more accurately, however Benson's illustrations are powerful and not at all inappropriate.

As to the story, Hoban has again snuck his metaphysical/omni-spiritual grasp of consciousness into this little volume, but being the subvertist he is, the children he wrote this for will no doubt understand it.

Replete with quasi poetry and moving allegory, 'Sea-Thing' is about a small diving sea-bird child who was blown out of his nest, and his great fear of the wind,the ocean and the storm. There are cryptic messages, filled with emotion:

"...but what if I have no music in me?"

"Need must find," said the sea-thing child.

"Find what?" said the crab.

"Whatever there is," said the sea-thing child.

As with much by Hoban, there is too much that could be said, but without doubt this little book speaks volumes about the fear of being and becoming--seemingly not at all distant from his adultwork.

My brother and I received this book when we were about six years old. A library was having a sale, and it came in a box of other childrens books. Out of all of the books, this is the one that we read the most. This is a wonderful, simple tale, about a boy who, when faced with a problem, knows there are always two "handles" on the situation. One is bad, the other is good. This book helps children learn how to make good choices. I am in my twenties now, and I haven't read "Tom and the two handles" in many years. But the story has remained with me over the years, and I'm sure it will have the same impact on children today.

This is an excellent book. I read it when I was little and I related well with Frances. Recently when I found a china tea set (with pictures in blue) I remembered this book and bought the china tea set for my niece and then bought the book to accompany it. Perfect gift I was told by the mother.

This series is charming and sweet without being too saccharine, and this is my personal favorite of the bunch. As far as the infamous $3 tea set ... if you can suspend disbelief enough to believe in talking badgers, it's only a stone's throw from there.

Despite its unlikely-looking cover, this is perhaps the finest I Can Read Book ever written. I had no idea it was a treasure when one of the kids grabbed it off the shelf at the local library. Written by Russell Hoban and illustrated by Lillian Hoban, it hilariously tells the story of a sweet and trusting little racoon who keeps getting the short end of the stick from a certain playmate.

When that playmate swindles her out of her savings, Frances doesn't go home and lick her wounds. No sir. She devises an ingenious plan to set matters straight and re-establishes the friendship on a more equitably basis.

Moms, if people tend to take advantage of your child (or someone else you know), this is a must-have book. Frances' resolution of the problem still thrills and inspires me every time I read it.

Since first reading Hoban's Riddley Walker almost twenty years ago, I have searched for other books that spoke as well to the cynical, questing artistic soul at the end of the twentieth century. They have been few, and rare, and mostly out of print in America. I approached this work with trepidation, fearing that it could not match the charm and spirit of this author's seminal masterpiece. I was wrong. From the first NNVSNU TSRUNGH, The Medusa Frequency establishes a new paradox of myth and machine, leading its reader, and its hero, through a humorous quest for true love, true work, and the meaning of life. The hero, Herman Orff, is a novelist without profit who writes classic comics for a living. After a late-night conversation from his computer monitor puts him in touch with a primordial reality, the comfortable fabric of his reality begins to unravel. His visit to a musician of his acquaintance leads him into another electronic encounter, with subsequent and unpredictable visits from the drowned head of Orpheus. His job writing comic books is terminated when the editor decides to "go glossy," trading the comic series for an x-rated magazine of classical Greek themes. Throughout, Herman is enticed by curiosity about the fate of his lost love, Luise, although he eagerly pursues the the prospect of a new love in one Melanie Falsepercy, whose legs speak to his soul. Vermeer's Head of a Young Girl and Eurydice of the Orpheus legend also compete for Herman's attention--and understanding. Herman's quest and the resolution of his contemporary dilemma remain quixotic--and strangely satisfying. As one might expect, Hoban's love of words and language give richness to this tale and extend its influence to the subliminal pleasures of certain sounds and rhythms. While this work does not surpass Riddley Walker, with its masterful re-creation of the English language, it brings a delightful, and humorous new perspective to life in our times.

Although Russell Hoban will always be listed as 'author of Mouse and his Child, Turtle Diary and Riddley Walker', books like Medusa Frequency (and Pilgermann as well) give evidence that Hoban is not merely an author with a few great books up his sleeve but one who continues to hammer out a treatice on the heart of human experience, and it is one which becomes more precise with each outing. Though only half the size of Riddley Walker, The Medusa Frequency examines universal/archetypal themes through dark humor and mythological allegory. Because Hoban is a real master of language, not stopping with where the meaning of words cut off, but moving beyond them, he seemingly accomplishes more then Jung does over thousands of pages. It feels weird to be comparing fiction to authors like D.T. Suzuki, but the quote in regards to the latter: "he combined the innocence of a child with the holiness of a saint." could easily be applied to Hoban; easily one of the best authors still writing.

I want to add my own positive review to the others. This book is essentially a quest story. The mouse and his child start their lives in a toy store next to a beautiful toy house. After they are sold and broken, their quest for a home, family, and self-determination begins. Of course, there is the evil rat who wants to smash them to bits, a philosophical turtle who teaches them where to search for their home, and other assorted animals and insects who help them on their way. The mouse and child survive war, rampaging theater critics, and a muskrat searching for the elusive X of life. It is a story about perseverance and hope. In the end, however, it is a story about what makes us happy. A story for the young and young at heart. Highly recommended.

Russell Hoban has been cranking out some of the best literature for all age groups over the last 30 years, and yet during that time he has failed to acquire any recognition here in the states. Most of his books are continuously out of print despite their critical acclaim. The very first of these was The Mouse and his Child, and it lays the ground work for a lot of his other books. His masterpiece, Riddley Walker, is in many ways a creative rehash of many of the themes he presents here, some 15 years earlier. But Hoban should also be acknowledged here for being one of only a handful of authors who really expects something from his readers, and this is especially rare in children literature. Although it is easy to assume the Mouse and his Child is not really a childrens' story at all, this is only due to our low expectations. Hoban manages to address questions loaded with symbolism and philosophical implications. There is far too much going on in this book to list it all. As noted in other reviews, it is in places very dark and depressing, but also funny and deeply rewarding. Probably one of the best books for children written in this half of the century and criminally out of print (but what by Hoban is not except for the Francis books?) Also, find the movie if you can, as it actually holds true to the book marvelously.

When I first heard that Mouse and his Child was coming back into print I was happy but not elated. I already own a few copies I tend to loan to those who need to read slightly warped children literature, and I was also skeptical about the new illustrations. Although Mouse and his Child marked the last joint project between Russell and Lillian Hoban, the illustration matched the text perfectly, and one is stuck asking 'if it already works, why fix it?' With that, I put the book out of my mind and didn't think of it again until I happened upon it at a local book store. Given a chance to peruse through this book I was immediately convinced about the quality of this reissue. The new illustrations are as perfect as Lillian's (though with their own particular bent, eschewing both the comedic and dark aspects of the story) while the book is in all other respects put together beautifully. For those who have been dealing with beat-up paperback copies, your long years of wait are over. The cover cannot be truly appreciated from the small pic on Amazon's page (no slight to them, but you simply need to pick up the book and examine it to see how wonderful it is.) Once you remove the dust jacket, Small's beautiful sketch is found to take the WHOLE of the cover, wrapping around from back to front, while the inside cover shows a series of sketches depicting the constant rotations of the 'mouse and child' toy. I imagine that taste may very in regards to Small's drawings, but they are tasteful and do not depart from the spirit of the story. Its a beautifully crafted book.
As to the story itself, I refered to this as an American classic, and it truly is, though perhaps a classic never appreciated in its place of origin. Mouse and his Child was widely hailed as such throughout Europe but seemed to scare kids in the US (perhaps because Mouse was not intended as a children story but rather got marketed as such.) It remains among the likes of other stories for all ages (its regularly compared to Tolkien, Richard Adams...personally I'd be more likely to compare it to a strange amalgamation of Kenneth Graham and Herman Melville) and addresses difficult issues while posessing a potentially terrifying plot (though black humor abounds). It is hard to think that while Twain's Huck Finn is claimed as one of the pillars of our national identity that we do not equally embrace Hoban's Mouse, for both are journey's through our cultural landscape, both dark and at times frightening, yet ultimately rewarding. Whether 'Mouse' will reach a new generation with this reprinting is hard to say, but it is still good to see this one back on the shelves.

An early novel from the supremely talented Russell Hoban, this is a well-crafted slice of magic realism set in an unnamed country somewhere bordering the Black Sea in that part of the world so fascinating to outsiders, that is neither entirely European, Asian nor Arabic.

This is a novel about about fathers and sons. Jachin-Boaz makes maps in a small town: all kinds of maps, from the mundane to the more bizarre; for example, a map for voyeurs. He creates the ultimate map for his son, Boaz-Jachin, which will enable him to find everything, but Boaz-Jachin, the dreamer, rejects it because will not help him locate the long-extinct lions. Depressed and disatisfied, Jachin-Boaz leaves his wife and son for the city and makes a new life for himself.

Boaz-Jachin meanwhile conjures up a lion, neither entirely real nor entirely metaphysical, from ancient carvings, which stalks his father in the city. He also leaves his home and searches for his father, with only the map, a guitar and his good looks to keep him on track. But, not knowing where to start, he heads off into the unknown, and experiences a picaresque series of surreal encounters and events along the way.

The book is is full of humour as well as being quite a serious meditation on love, family relationships, and on what life lacks without mystery. It is also beautifully written, economical in style, concludes well and does not outstay its welcome. Read it, and you'll find yourself wanting to seek out Hoban's other novels too.

I purchased this book after reading his "Riddley Walker" masterpiece. I subsequently lost the book to a 'borrower' as so often happens. The book is short, but unforgettable - Hoban has a mythic imagination and is quite at home with metaphysics and storytelling. This reads like a New Age personal transformation book to the simple reader, but it is much more literary in it's contstruction than that genre. I hope that by reading this, others will be encouraged to track this book down and try it - with Hoban, perseverance to his style has a huge reward.