Mr. Elephant & Mr. Mouse Review

Mr. Elephant & Mr. Mouse is a delightful interactive storybook that hits all the right notes, telling the story of two animals who have names that do not suit them very well at all.

Meet Mr. Mouse and Mr. Elephant; members of a support group whose members’ names are associated with other creatures such as a buffalo named “Mr. Slug,” a panda named “Mr. Bee,” or a duck named “Mr. Snake.” At one point, Mr. Mouse and Mr. Elephant, each wearing the name tags that would commonly be for each other, are given the idea simply to trade badges to partake in the lives they feel they have missed out on. I found the resolution of this story strangely moving as these animals miss their old lives, complete with the inconveniences they had faced in the past. Mr. Elephant & Mr. Mouse is a rare storybook that is perfectly realized, complete with nice character development and interesting back stories as well as fun, stylized, animated moments that reenforce this quirky story.

As I have tested and reviewed many a storybook, the first thing I typically do is search pages for interactive hot spots expecting to trigger sound effects and to label characters or objects as they move or bounce around the page - sometimes to distraction. Because of this, I greatly appreciate what I found when exploring the pages of Mr. Elephant & Mr. Mouse as the interactions found within are quite witty, especially the period industrial film explaining the support group these animals belong to, as well as the introduction of smaller characters one may otherwise disregard - favorite moments of mine that I truly appreciate. I love how these interactions absolutely add to the richness of the storytelling experience and humor, and I was delighted to see all the different moments that include sometimes mild yet always highly effective animated moments.

Narration is included by Author Glenn Melenhorst himself, which I equally enjoy, and I am fond of Mr. Elephant & Mr. Mouse's use of word highlighting as well as being able to tap words to hear them read out loud. A menu of pages is also included, which is always a nice touch. This charming, unique and highly polished app will be enjoyed by all ages. As an adult, I smiled at the idea of these animals not appreciating their names such as Mr. Elephant or Mr. Mouse as this jogs my memory of Steve Buscemi as Mr. Pink in Reservoir Dogs, making me smile for reasons my son will have no idea of for years to come.