Cover Image: Edison

Edison

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Member Reviews

This is the story of two mice who build a submarine to travel to a shipwreck. It's a fun story with beautiful illustrations. I think this is one you'd definitely have to read to a child because some of the vocabulary seems a little difficult for kids to read on their own.

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This is an enjoyable book with a charming story about two little mice embarking on an adventure to find long lost family treasure. The beautifully detailed image on the cover is what first peaked my interest in reading this, so it didn't surprise me that my favorite thing about this book turned out to be its stunning illustrations. Torben Kuhlmann is an incredibly talented artist and storyteller! This book is absolutely worth purchasing for any home, school, or public library!

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First there was Lindbergh, a curious mouse who was inspired to create his own wings. The incredible illustrations in the book show his progress from a sort of glider, to a steam-driven contraption, to his final model. Readers can also see his test flights and how he perseveres after each one to correct the design flaws and make improvements for the next attempt. Then, there was Armstrong, who became the first mouse to reach the moon. Now there is a young mouse named Pete who is trying to locate a treasure that once belonged to an ancestor and has been a family legend for generations. He recruits the Professor from the University of Mice to help research the ocean liner his ancestor traveled on and where it might possibly have sunk with the treasure on board. What follows is a tale of experimentation and inventions (diving bells, submarines, diving suits), and brave explorers.

The illustrations show the University hidden behind the walls of a bookstore, design sketches for the inventions, and scenes of Pete and the Professor testing out their inventions. Particularly striking are the tiny sub juxtaposed next to a whale, and the sub surrounded by a silvery school of fish. Readers will also notice that the Professor has a wall covered with pictures of his heroes - Ben Franklin, Tesla, and Edison, among others.

Anyone who enjoys stories with heroic little animals like Despereaux or the Library Mouse will want to add Edison to their favorites. Although it's a fictional story, it would be a great read-aloud for a class studying inventors or explorers. It could also be used to study life-skills like problem-solving and perseverance. Whatever your reason for reading it, you will probably love it.

I read an e-book provided by the publisher through NetGalley.

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Overall, I think this story is fun and children will love the beautiful illustrations of the deep sea adventures and library excursions these two mice experience. The story was sometimes choppy and didn’t transition well from one chapter to the next.

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This is the review according to my 8 year old son:

I liked it! I thought it was neat that they made a submarine. I liked the characters. It's interesting that he was trying to find his ancestor. The characters were creative in their building and I like that they didn't give up. The professor was helpful. I would recommend this book to other kids.

Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this book.

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*An ARC of this book was provided by NETGALLEY in exchange for an honest review *

Kuhlmann always has absolutely lovely and incredibly detailed illustrations, which makes his picture book a must-read for me. I found the story this time around to be slightly less engaging than the first two, but still charming and likely to keep kids on the slightly higher reading level interested.

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This is the story of two mice, Pete and a Professor, searching for the lost treasure of one of Pete's ancestors. The illustrations are simply stunning. I can imagine a hardcover version of this book must be beautiful! The story is quite nice and entertaining. The book is divided in very short chapters, which helps young readers (and parents) find a good place to stop reading and retaking the story later. The vocabulary is simple enough for kids without being annoying to read for adults.

I have two main complaints with the book. The first one is the lack of female characters. If you're looking for a somewhat gender balanced story, this isn't it. Both Pete and the professor are male mice. Also, the kid at the beginning is a boy. All the pictures of inventors, the sailors, and almost everyone on every illustration is a man. If you look carefully through all the images, I believe you can find two or three very blurry women. My second and biggest complaint is the way the professor disregarded all the dangers of the sea. I can't in good faith read this book to a kid without stopping to explain that, for example, sperm whales sometimes swallow squid whole, so it could definitely manage a tiny submarine with two mice in it. They get sort of attacked by crab on their first attempt and then they don't have to worry about a thing? If there is no danger at all: how is this an adventure to begin with?

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This was odd... I received a Kindle Arc of this book from Netgalley in exchange for a fair review, but this site doesn't offer it.. Oh, well, Here goes_
I really enjoyed this tale of treasure seeking mice! They do everything humans do! Lol! I think it's adorable!great plot, great characters! The illustrations are too, too wonderful! This is my first exposure to author Torben Kuhlmann, but this seems to a thrid book in a series. I have to find the others and read them! Kids (and adults) will enjoy this story!

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Fans of Torben Kuhlmann's Lindbergh will delight in this adventure of a mouse seeking the treasure of his ancestor. The illustrations are really lovely and enjoyable to look at and children will love Pete's plucky spirit as he refuses to quit his search and uses science to overcome his obstacles.

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A mouse finds out about an underwater treasure and wants to go find it. He enlists the aid of a professor who in a previous story went to the moon, so he seems to be the right one to ask. The title gives you a hint as to where it ends.
The first page is giant and colorful, all the more for it being a bookstore. When a customer comes in and distracts the clerk, all the mice scurry behind the wall to the University of Mice. (Makes me wonder what they were doing out in the bookstore in the first place.)
Interesting that, at least in the beginning, it’s not about the quest, but the research. Rather than outsource, the professor takes the time to learn all the crafts needed. There’s one moment where it says they worked on the submarine during the night, because they didn’t want humans to catch them during the day. Where exactly were they building it? You’d think if there was enough room in the walls to have a whole university, the professor would find a place to build it. He is the only employee of the place, as far as I can tell, and there’s plenty of room.
Some of the words and ideas here are not likely to be understood by most kids, and the wordiness and length might turn off some with attention span issues. It’s twice as long as most children’s books, but there’s a lot of full-page art. There’s also a lot of text, but it’s small and generally fits on one side of the page.
The requisite front illustration page has old-fashioned blueprints—sepia, not blue—of all the steampunk-y equipment the rodent in question uses for his deep-sea diving expeditions. My favorite artwork is the humpback whale; got this one right, as it’s the only whale that sings.
The idea is great, but there’s too many little things niggling at me that keep me from giving this a higher grade. This is the third in a series, so maybe the author’s got the audience niche down, but I wouldn’t recommend this for any but the brightest of grade schoolers.

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A fun read aloud with illustrations that are visually active as the reader goes on a treasure hunt with mice. Easy to follow and the illustrations reveal details to the listener. Highly recommend.

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Beautiful illustrations! Kuhlmann has created another imaginative tale of a mouse and an invention. This book will be a fun addition to any collection.

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I have yet to outgrow children's picture books. I especially love the resurgence of books that cleverly weave historical people into the story. Author Torban Kuhlmann uses a mouse to build a connection with Thomas A. Edison.

One of the most striking things about Edison are vibrant and incredibly detailed illustrations. The kind of illustrations that enhance and help the story along. No stick figures or crude drawings, but true works of art throughout the book. The kind of book in which a non-reader, having heard the story, can go back and relive the story through the illustrations alone. We are talking frame-worthy art--I love that children can be exposed to detail and beauty!

The story is a bit longer than a typical picture book. Parents can stretch out the reading over a few bed times or snuggle in for a longer reading time on a rainy afternoon. I suspect even the wiggliest audience will beg for more at each chapter end.

I love that the little mouse hero is encouraged to dream big and try to solve problems. With the help of a kindly mentor, Pete, goes off to hunt down a mouse treasure. You'll have to read the story to find out what a mouse has to do with Thomas Edison! I loved that the author included information on Edison and others who contributed to the field of electricity.

I highly recommend this book as a family read aloud, or an independent read for older children. Hopefully the topic will generate further interest in STEM related topics. This book provides an engaging way to encourage children to explore, invent and solve problems!

Disclaimer: I received a free digital copy of Edison: The Mystery of the Missing Mouse Treasure free from NetGalley. No other compensation was received.

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A book that I wanted to fall in love with, but couldn't. Yes, the design and artwork is wonderful, and there is adventure to be had here for the young, but the story is so full of whimsy and circumstance it felt like too much of a fantasia, and less a coherent drama. The author seems to want his audience to be as inquisitive as Pete, his young hero, but not wonder how the old Professor knew he was in the bath, and much more. Finally, the educational side of things seemed rather shoe-horned in. Three and a half stars in the end from me, four from my younger, past self, who probably would have let the false beats slide, considering the look of it all.

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Another excellent mouse adventure from Torben Kuhlmann with only the most stunning art, a little bit whimsical with a vintage touch. The story was very well-developed and as a librarian, I appreciated how much attention he gave to the research required for such an adventure. I also adored seeing characters from his other books and I appreciate that there were failures the two mice had to learn from. It's a hard lesson to learn.

It's a bit long to be properly considered a picture book, but it is an excellent storybook divided into short manageable chapters that would work excellently to read aloud over a couple of sittings.

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Oh, this was a treasure to read (see what I did there?). I loved Armstrong and now another one comes along and gives me the same cozy, adventurous feeling. I love the illustrations and the way the story is told. How the experiments don't go as planned, but they keep trying. How they're so small but manages to do such great things.

My kids have yet to read this, but I feel as if this one is great for reading out loud in a classroom or for your own kids. Definitely recommended!

Thank you, Netgalley, for the chance to read and review this book!

/ Denise

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Hanno sorvolato l'Atlantico.

Sono state le prime creature viventi a metter zampa sulla Luna (che, purtroppo e contrariamente alle credenze comuni, non è di formaggio).

Ora i topi sono pronti a esplorare le profondità dell'oceano, alla ricerca di un misterioso tesoro affondato decenni fa sulla via dell'America.

Inizia così l'avventura di un anziano ma brillante topo inventore e del suo avventuroso assistente, alla ricerca prima del perfetto mezzo per inoltrarsi sott'acqua senza timore (se non delle creature meravigliose e terribili che popolano gli abissi!)  e poi del tesoro stesso: un tesoro che ha fatto la Storia.

Un altro capolavoro regalatoci dai pennelli e dalla fantasia dell'eccezionale Tobern Kuhlmann, l'uomo dei cui non mi stancherei mai. <3

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Review to be posted on all sources mentioned in my profile closer to the release date.

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange of an honest review.

Imagine my delight when I found out that this author/illustrator made more books featuring mice. I already read Lindbergh: The Tale of a Flying Mouse 2 years prior, loved that one to bits. I was very much excited to start this one. Featuring a new mouse, new adventures, new friendship, new mysteries, new inventions.

This time the adventure is about a little mouse who wants to know more about his ancestor who went to America. He gets help from an old professor. At first the old mouse doesn't want to help him, but then he does as he sees that our little mouse isn't giving up. I loved seeing them research, build, invent, craft, and plan. These two are tiny but they have big dreams, big plans, and nothing is going to stop them.

We see them try out diving bubbles, making something that would do the same but also allows for resurfacing again, then try out something else again, and then the journey really starts. I was curious what the treasure would be, what could be in that chest that is so important? Gold? Very old cheese? Something else?

The ending was sweet and beautiful, and it does explain why our tiny little mouse has such a talent for inventing.

Just a shame that the title kind of spoils the ending of the book. :P

The art is just the best part. Yes, the story is wonderful, but it is the art that captures me.

I definitely need more books like this, I love mice. Even had them when I was teen, and not one or two, but a whole bunch. So adorable!

All in all, if you are looking for a gorgeous, fun, adventurous book featuring brave mice, read this one! And be sure to check out the others as well.

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Winning combination of artistry and education.

House explores that would fit in well within the confines of Redwall Abbey were they to time travel after their oceanographic exploits.

Lovely tale of a young mouse searching beneath the waves for the long list treasures of his ancestors.

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Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the advanced look into this book in exchange for an honest review.

When at the University of Mice, there is so much to learn and so much to do! Little Pete enlists the Professor to help him with his own "great quest for knowledge," and cannot do everything on his own. His inventions, some that work and some that fail, use the scientific approach in addition to mathematic calculations.

Beautiful illustrations throughout this picture book entice the reader to turn the pages.

Pages of historical facts and photos reinforce the facts included in the text.

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