Julie's Jewels: Camp Babymouse by Jennifer L. Holm

Bibliography:

Holm, Jennifer L. Camp Babymouse. Ill. by Mathew Holm. New York: Random House, 2007. ISBN 9780375939884

Plot Summary:

Babymouse is very excited to be on her way to camp. Upon arrival, she finds her cabin and meets her roommates. They don't make her feel welcome and she feels left out on her first day at camp. Campers earn points through competitions; they can also lose points by not paying attention, being late, or for being messy. Babymouse loses points for her team by inadvertently doing things wrong. She overhears her cabin mates talking and how she is causing their team to lose. Babymouse is upset by this and calls her parents to come get her.

Later that evening, Babymouse goes outside to the latrine and runs into Susie. They are lost, but Babymouse remembers the rules and they find their way back to camp. Everyone is impressed with Babymouse and Susie is very grateful. Her cabin mates nominate Babymouse to be the team leader for the final competition, a scavenger hunt. Her parents arrive to pick her up, but she wants to stay. “But I don’t want to go home anymore! I love camp!” Babymouse’s team, the Buttercups, win the scavenger hunt, just to lose the cabin competition because they had so many demerits….and they end up washing dishes.

Critical Analysis:

I think most children could identify with Babymouse and how it feels to be the outsider. Children understand Babymouse and how she wants to fit in and be friends with the other campers. We all want her to be successful and to enjoy camp. Babymouse is a girl, but I think both girls and boys will enjoy this episode in the series. Babymouse is easy to like because she is one of us…even though she is a mouse.

The plot is fairly simple, but quite believable. It is the story of Babymouse going off to camp like many children do every year. What makes it fun and original is that Babymouse lets her imagination run wild and she has fantasy sequences throughout the actual story. We follow her adventures as she makes mistakes, makes friends, and learns a thing or two about being a camper.

The camp is the main setting, but it also includes her cabin, the latrine, the mess hall, and the surrounding forest. Much of the setting is detailed through the illustrations and the pictures tell a lot of the story. The story is satisfying as we go through Babymouse’s camp adventure together. We see her struggle and we see her become victorious. Through Babymouse, we learn to never give up and always strive to move forward, no matter what.

The style of the Babymouse series is a graphic novel format. The illustrations by Matthew Holm are simple and delightful. His style includes limited colors; only pink, black, and white are used. The pages where Babymouse is using her imagination have lots more pink than the regular pages of the story. Another unique addition is the narrative voice that appears in the book; the narrator and Babymouse speak to each other throughout the story. Onomatopoeia is used throughout the story, which children love.

Review Excerpts:

Cybil Award finalist
2007 International Reading Association Children's Choices finalist, winner
From Through the Looking Glass Children's Book Reviews- "With her delightful trips into her own imagination and her 'conversations' with the reader - which are both hilarious and at times caring - this Babymouse tale is a delight to read. Its pink, black, and white graphic novel format is completely unique and without a doubt Babymouse is a character readers of all ages will find it hard not to fall in love with, for she is so much like us – full of dreams, hopes, flaws, and wonderful qualities that we can admire."
Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC) 2008 Best of the Year list nominee
From the CCBC- "As in the earlier volumes, Babymouse’s vivid imagination provides an extra layer of whimsy to her daily escapades, as when she transforms the canoe disaster into a Moby Dick-esque voyage, or morphs climbing to the top bunk into a Mouse Kong feat. At her lowest point, Babymouse shows that she’s absorbed some of the Camp Wild Whiskers survival lessons after all, and helps a lost Buttercup camper find her way back to their cabin. Black, white, and pink illustrations deftly capture the humor and grade-school level drama of Babymouse’s exploits, sure to please her current fans and also gain new ones."