The
Netherlands (Frisian)
225
Dykstra, Lida (text)
Grobler, Piet (illus.)
Mûske, myn famke (Little Mouse, my girl)
[Ljouwert] : Bornmeer, 2003 – [28] p.
ISBN 90-5615-068-5
Love
A hermit with magical powers notices how an owl drops a little mouse. He
catches the little animal in his cloak and exclaims that he wishes it was a
girl. His wish comes true. Years later, the girl wants to marry the most
powerful man on, above, or below the earth. Together they go and look for him,
pass the sun, the cloud, and the mountain, and finally find the ideal husband:
a mouse with whom she has many little children. This story, in which the same
idea appears again and again, is based on a poem by the Friesian Renaissance
poet Gysbert Japicx, whose 400th
birthday was celebrated in 2003. The author gives her own interpretation of
the story and South African illustrator Piet Grobler’s cheerful pictures add
an extra dimension to the story with their numerous details. (4+)