Seven Blind Mice

Seven Blind Mice is a children's picture book written and illustrated by Ed Young. Based on the Indian fable of the blind men and an elephant, the book tells the story of seven mice who, each day, explore and describe a different part of the elephant. It was well received by critics and received a Caldecott Honor for its illustrations. Background When planning the book, Ed Young believed that the story would work better with pictures if the blind men were instead small animals exploring the elephant. He considered using monkeys at first, but wanted an even smaller animal, so settled on having the characters be mice instead. Having added a seventh character, Young then began introducing other concepts that worked with that number, such as colors, with six of the mice representing the rainbow and the seventh a light. He later introduced the idea of the seven days of the week. Reception Ed Young's book was received positively, including a starred review from The Horn Book Magazine. Horn Books review praised the art, "where the brightly colored mice cavort against black backgrounds", and called the elephant's design "striking". A review for the School Library Journal also praised the book's art, saying the collage was "vibrant", and its use on a completely black background resulted in a "strong visual impact."