An Elaborate Bird House for the Birds and Squirrels!
Do you remember this book from your childhood? I just came across it recently and wanted to share with you the elaborate bird house illustration that’s in this collectible children’s book.
In this book, Ms. Mouse is an architect who designs houses for animals. Some of the designs are like mid-century modern. The bird house is supposed to feel like a spaceship. The book is by George Mendoza and the colorful and super creative illustrations are by Doris Susan Smith.
What I love about this illustration is that the birds are drawn to resemble real birds. There are Barn Swallows and House Sparrows. The yellow bird reminds me of a Grosbeak but I think it may be something else. This book was apparently first published in the UK under the title “House by Mouse” in 1981, so these may be European birds. The text was changed for the U.S. version which came out in 1983. But the beautiful illustrations remained the same.
This is a picture of the U.S. version, published by Grosset & Dunlap in 1983.
Would you consider selling this to me? I’m searching low and high for this for my animal home obsessed daughter. Not as a collector!