Maisy is big
Almost twenty years ago, Lucy Cousins was toying with the idea of lift-the-flap, pull-the-tab books. She came up with a mouse called Maisy, and Maisy’s world. Maisy was introduced to the world in 1990.
Since then, Cousins has written and illustrated over ninety Maisy books, more than 24.5 million copies of which have been sold. Originally written in English - Cousins lives in the United Kingdom - they have been translated into 28 languages, which have adopted Maisy as Mimi (French), Mausi (German) and Pina (Italian).
In 1999, Maisy got her own television series on Nick. Jr. Over 4.5 million little viewers tune into it every month. She has her own website: Maisy’s Fun Club. And she is now also appearing on DVDs with over 2 hours of stories, music and games.
In 2007, three more titles will appear: Maisy’s Amazing Big Book of Words (with flaps), Maisy Goes to the Hospital, and Maisy Big, Maisy Small. As of then, more information about content and age range will be added on the back of each book.
What makes Maisy so big? And with whom?
Maisy’s world: illustrations and stories
Lucy Cousins credits Maisy’s popularity to the colors of the drawings, the amiability of the characters, and the authenticity of Maisy’s adventures. And she is right on all three counts.
Maisy’s world is a 2D world wherein everything is simplified, so that the youngest can concentrate on the essentials. Exuberant colors (“crayon-colors,” they are called) fill large fields and are surrounded by black lines, making them immediately appealing to a young child’s eye. There is often no superfluous detail in the imagery, and backgrounds are kept to a minimum – on the few occasions that Cousins breaks that rule, the effect is charming, as in Maisy’s bedroom.
Maisy and her friends live in a world of friendship and happiness, and some small worries… the kind of world every child should live in. The stories (breakfast, bedtime, farm animals, driving a bus, gift-giving) are recognizable even to the smallest readers. They are short, sequential, and calm, not overly busy with events. The language too is sparse, and keywords are repeated often.
Many Maisy-s
Cousins and her publishers pull out all the stops where format is concerned. Maisy appears in simple paperback books (which don’t weigh too heavily on the budget), board books, chunky “tower-books” (a favorite with those under two years of age), and larger hardback books.
Many titles come in the lift-the-flap format, which has become increasingly popular among the more dexterous one and two-year-olds. There are also pull-the-tab books, and it may be a relief to parents to hear that these are sturdily constructed and stand up to the pressures of enthusiasm.
Age groups: count the parents in!
With these qualities, Maisy appeals to a wide range of ages. The colors will captivate the youngest, from 6 months on. As the child gets older, even the simplest Maisy books reveal new sides to them, extending their appeal will into the second, third, even fourth year of age.
This is another appealing aspect of Maisy, also for the parents. The simplicity of the pictures and stories and the many repetitions may sound like a boring affair, especially if you’re reading “Maisy’s Bedtime” for the hundredth time. But that need not be the case. There is always plenty extra for the child, and the parent, to do.
The stories can serve as occasions for discussing and drawing parallels with situations in the child’s life. They play with contrasts between action and rest, dialogue and description, humor and seriousness, so they ask for a lot of voice modulation and gestures on the reader’s part. Often the reader can elaborate and even add a key event to the story.
In Doctor Maisy, for instance, the actual crash of Maisy bumping into Tallulah isn’t pictured – a choice that this reviewer finds well-judged and courageous. The parent can do a little song-and-dance herself while turning the page (showing both creatures already sitting down on the floor), which will delight the child.
Such simplicity and flexibility leaves room for the reading experience to grow, as book and child grow older.
One criticism is that Cousins often reuses images, unchanged. This may annoy those who pay the purchase price, but not the children. Children thrive on repetition and familiarity, and enjoy recognizing similarities.
- Maisy books are distributed in the United States by Candlewick Press, and by Walker Books in Maisy’s native UK.
- DVDs are distributed by Universal Pictures.
- Maisy can be seen on television in the Noggin channel.
