Amos the mouse and Boris the whale: a devoted pair of friends with nothing at all in common, except good hearts and a willingness to help their fellow mammal. They meet after Amos sets out to sail the sea and finds himself in extreme need of rescue. And there will come a day, long after Boris has gone back to a life at sea and Amos has gone back to life on dry land, when the tiny mouse must find a way to rescue the great whale.
Amos & Borisis a 1971 New York Times Book Review Best Illustrated Book of the Year, Notable Children's Book of the Year, and Outstanding Book of the Year.
William Steig(1907-2003) was a cartoonist, illustrator and author of award-winning books for children, including
Shrek!, on which the DreamWorks movies are based; the Caldecott Medal-winner
Sylvester and the Magic Pebble; The Caldecott Honor book
The Amazing Bone; and the Newbury Honor Books
Abel's Islandand
Doctor De Soto. Stieg also published thirteen collections of drawings for adults, including
The Lonely Ones,
Male/Female, and
Our Miserable Life.
Friends come in all shapes and sizes.
There is no question that Steig's affectionately witty pictures and perfectly complementary narration make this a durable picture book friendship. Kirkus Reviews
The book is funny and earnest, pellucid and profound. The New York Times Book Review
* A simple, matter-of-fact story about the friendship between a mouse and a whale. . . . Lovely watercolor pictures and a funny, well-written text which presents its plot coincidences in tongue-in-cheek manner fit together admirably in this faintly Aesopian tale. School Library Journal, Starred Review