Anybody who lives in a church must be a pretty decent sort of person

All the most important books in your life have a history.  When I had my first child back in 2007, my husband's colleague had one piece of advice: find The Church Mouse.  Though I didn't ordinarily consider him a source of wisdom, for some reason, I made a note of it.  However, it was out of print, and in those days I didn't even know how to scour the internet for used books.  My next attempt to track it down was at Powell's Books in Portland, OR.  The salesman smiled ruefully when he told me they didn't have it, but with a knowing look--I was a kindred spirit, in the secret society of those who knew about this forgotten classic.  Finally, two years later, I tracked it down at Better World Books.  It was worth the wait.

And now, for the book.  First published in 1972, it is the story of Arthur, a mouse living a contented but lonely life in an English country church.  Tired of only having a pacifist cat for a friend, he decides to invite all the local mice to join him at the church, where they will do odd jobs in exchange for free cheese.  Adventures ensue.

I love this book because it combines the dry sense of humor and charming English setting of a Beatrix Potter story with the visual detail of Where's Waldo, full of tiny visual jokes that compel you to pore over each picture again and again.  But where Graham Oakley, who is both the author and illustrator, really shines is in a talent I have rarely seen elsewhere: this is a book in which the story is incomplete without the pictures.

Let me explain.  Consider a book such as Make Way for Ducklings.  Now certainly your experience of Ducklings would be diminished if you were to only hear it aloud--the Caldecott-winning illustrations are what it is best known for.  However, it is still perfectly functional as a written story.  Oakley's genius, and what makes his books laugh-out-loud funny, is in the subtle juxtaposition between what the words are telling us is happening, and the pictures telling us what "really happened."  Oakley the author functions as the straight man, while Oakley the illustrator is standing behind making faces and giving the reader a knowing wink.  One example of this is in The Church Mice Adrift (yes, there are sequels!), where the text discusses in glowing terms a new real estate development that is going to bring "progress" to the community, while in the background you can see nineteenth-century row houses being bulldozed next to a billboard of the nondescript office tower which will replace them.  Without ever saying it out loud, Oakley leaves us in no doubt how dubious such an idea of "progress" really is.

Lucky for us there are twelve books about Arthur and his compatriots, but most are out-of-print, and even used copies can be expensive.  Hopefully I will be able to post reviews of some of my favorite sequels in the future--I especially recommend Church Mice at Christmas, Church Mice at Bay, and Church Mice and the Moon.  Keep your eyes open on Amazon and at used book stores, so you too can start your own Church Mouse story.

Rating: A+