The Church Mice series is a series of children's picture books written by English writer Graham Oakley. The books focus on the adventures of a group of church mice who live in an old gothic church in the fictional town of Wortlethorpe, England, and their guardian, Sampson the cat. [1] [2] The books have been widely praised for their richly detailed illustrations [3] [4] and their witty, ironic humor. [5] Several of the church mice books have been nominated for or won major literary awards. [6]
In the first book in the series, The Church Mouse, readers are introduced to Arthur the church mouse, who lives in the Wortlethorpe church with his friend, Sampson the cat. Sampson, it is revealed, has sworn never to harm a mouse, having listened to many sermons on brotherly love and meekness while living in the church and taken their message to heart. [2] Arthur soon invites more mice to live in the church, earning the permission of the Parson by promising that the mice will do chores and odd jobs to earn their keep. One particularly notable addition is Humphrey the school mouse, who becomes Arthur's good friend but is also something of a troublemaker. [1] [2]
Later books in the series recount the various adventures of Sampson and the church mice, as they travel abroad, defend the church from burglars, and attempt to raise money through a number of different harebrained schemes. Throughout, the books focus on the relationships between Sampson, Arthur and Humphrey.
Critics have often noted that the Church Mice books combine pictures and text in a particularly effective fashion. The Times Literary Supplement, for example, noted that Oakley shows "how effectively words and pictures can be crafted together, so that our understanding of the story depends on the two." [2] In a review of The Church Mouse, Emma Milne-White noted that Oakley's "glorious illustrations are packed so full of detail and humor that something new is discovered with each reading...they complement the story beautifully." [7] Other reviewers have commented on the strength of Oakley's "memorable characters, beautifully realized," and on the Church Mice books' ability to entertain both children and older readers simultaneously. [1] [6]
Several of the church mice books have been nominated for major awards. The Church Mice Adrift was a New York Times Best Illustrated Children's Book of the Year, and was nominated for a Kate Greenaway Medal in 1977. The Church Mice in Action was nominated for a Kate Greenaway Medal, and was a runner-up for the Kurt Maschler Award in 1982. [6]
Live Oak Media created a direct-to-video film adaptation of The Church Mouse in 1988. [2]
The Carnegie Medal is a British literary award that annually recognises one outstanding new English-language book for children or young adults. It is conferred upon the author by the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP). CILIP calls it "the UK's oldest and most prestigious book award for children's writing".
The Guardian Children's Fiction Prize or Guardian Award was a literary award that annual recognised one fiction book written for children or young adults and published in the United Kingdom. It was conferred upon the author of the book by The Guardian newspaper, which established it in 1965 and inaugurated it in 1967. It was a lifetime award in that previous winners were not eligible. At least from 2000 the prize was £1,500. The prize was apparently discontinued after 2016, though no formal announcement appears to have been made.
The Nestlé Children's Book Prize, and Nestlé Smarties Book Prize for a time, was a set of annual awards for British children's books that ran from 1985 to 2007. It was administered by BookTrust, an independent charity that promotes books and reading in the United Kingdom, and sponsored by Nestlé, the manufacturer of Smarties candy. It was one of the most respected and prestigious prizes for children's literature.
The Carnegie Medal for Illustration is a British literary award that annually recognises "distinguished illustration in a book for children". It is conferred upon the illustrator by the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP) which inherited it from the Library Association. CILIP is currently partnered with the audio technology company Yoto in connection with the award.
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Graham Thomas Oakley was an English writer and illustrator best known for children's books.
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Martin Waddell is a writer of children's books from Belfast, Northern Ireland. He may be known best for his picture book texts featuring anthropomorphic animals, especially the Little Bear series illustrated by Barbara Firth.
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The Federation of Children's Book Groups Children's Book Award is a set of annual literary prizes for children's books published in the U.K. during the preceding calendar year. It recognises one "Overall" winner and one book in each of three categories: Books for Younger Children, Books for Younger Readers, and Books for Older Readers. The selections are made entirely by children, which is unique among British literary awards. It was previously known as the Red House Children's Book Award.
Emily Gravett is an English author and illustrator of children's picture books. For her debut book Wolves published in 2005 and Little Mouse's Big Book of Fears published three years later, she won the annual Kate Greenaway Medal recognising the year's best-illustrated British children's book.
The Jolly Postman or Other People's Letters is an interactive children's picture book by Janet and Allan Ahlberg. The innovative project required five years to complete, and much discussion with both the publisher Heinemann and the printer before it was issued in 1986. The first subject heading assigned by WorldCat is "Toy and movable books". Little, Brown published a U.S. edition in the same year.
Julia Eccleshare MBE is a British journalist and writer on the subject of children's books. She has been Children's Books editor for The Guardian newspaper for more than ten years, at least from 2000. She is also an editorial contributor and advisor for the website Love Reading 4 Kids. She is a recipient of the Eleanor Farjeon Award.
The Church Mice and the Ring is a children's picture book by English writer Graham Oakley. It is the eleventh in the Church Mice series. It chronicles the scrapes of the church mice as they try to find a home for a stray dog, a quest which soon comes to involve an easily lost diamond ring. It was published by Pan Macmillan.
