The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo

The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo (2004 Newberry Medal Winner)

I'm not really a good person to compare movies with the books from which they take their stories. I spent most of the time I was reading Despereaux thinking about everything that the movie got wrong. I do the same thing with every movie/book combination. I can't think of a single movie that I thought was better than the book.

One of the biggest differences is that Despereaux isn't brave. He does act bravely, but he isn't a brave mouse. In the movie, we see Despereaux carrying his sword from the beginning and stealing cheese from traps and not being bothered by the cat. This isn't the mouse we get in the book. In the book, Despereaux doesn't act like a frightened mouse not because of his bravery, but because of his wonder with the world around him.

Despereaux follows his wonder to reading the book in the library with the tale of a knight that fills his mind. His wonder also leads him to follow the music of the King. It also brings him into the presence of the Princess, with whom he falls in love.

These are some reasons why I enjoyed the book more than the movie. Let's talk about the book on its own though.

Despereaux is born as the last and smallest member of his littler of mice. He lives in a French castle, and his mother and father a dismayed at how unusual of a mouse he is. His is so small for a mouse. He doesn't tremble. He even opens his eyes and looks at the sun, which no mouse baby has ever been known to do. I mentioned the acts that get him banished from the mouse community because of his unmouselike behavior.

Meanwhile in the dungeon, there is a rat that becomes obsessed with the light of the world, but because he lives in the dungeon, he cannot share in the light. He travels to the banquet room of the castle and accidentally scares the queen to death when he lands in her bowl of beloved soup. He vows revenge.

There is also Miggery Sow to consider. Mig is a young girl whose father sold her to another man for a red table cloth, and a handful of cigarettes. Mig finds herself living and working in the castle which takes her one stop closer to her dream of becoming a Princess, but this makes her a bigger target for a certain rat.

Things get complicated, and I don't want to give too much away even if you have seen the movie. (Things progress differently than the movie suggests.) The important thing to know is that this story hinges on Despereaux overcoming his fears and becoming the hero he found in his books.

This is an important lesson for students to discover and can provide a great amount of discussion with your children.