Babymouse Burns Rubber

Holm, J.L., & Holm, M. Babymouse Burns Rubber. (2010). New York: Random House.

Lexile: GN110L

Summary: Babymouse Burns Rubber is about Babymouse and Wilson. They are about to enter the “race of the century.” Babymouse isn’t always the best driver and usually crashes. At least with the help of her best friend, Wilson, they will definitely build the best looking race car around, “The Cupcake Cannon.” In the end, the true meaning of friendship is put to the real race and solidifies Babymouse and Wilson’s friendship.

Evaluation: This is a humorous, fun-loving graphic novel about friendship, trying your best, and having fun. There are obvious lessons about friendship throughout the story between Babymouse and Wilson. It will definitely engage students to continue reading until the end. I’m not a huge fan of graphic novels, but this story in particular kept me reading and laughing until the end.

The characters in the story love life and can definitely be analyzed more in depth by students. Also, the characters are equally resembled as being the leader and hero. The one criticism I have about the characters though is that there are some stereotypes. For example, the girly girl, Babymouse, is a bad driver who always seems to run into things, and the boy, Wilson, ends up winning the car race.

However, since not every picture has a caption or narration, students must infer what the author is trying to see in that space, which is great for getting students to think more in depth with their books. The overall storyline, is extremely adorable and will get both girls and boys to want to read more Babymouse books.

Literary Elements: Theme- Friendship is key in this story. Wilson and Babymouse’s friendship is highlighted throughout the whole book and exemplifies what it means to be a true friend.

Illustrations- Some pictures allow for inferences. The only color in the novel is pink. The rest is black and white, which shows how girly Babymouse is and that the color pink is her favorite color.

Tone- Everything from the random aliens to the Star Wars section towards the end, represents a humorous tone.

Mini lesson: I’d have a mini lesson about what it means to be a true friend. Have students write about their best friend whether it be their dog, mom, or classmate. Have them pick three qualities that make that person/thing their best friend and give reasons.

Target Audience: 3^rd – 6^th grade because it’s a quick, cute book, but really young children won’t understand how to read a graphic novel.