Book vs. Movie Comparison: The Tale of Despereaux

First, I need to confess one of my faults. I am the person who reads the end of the book first, just to make sure it ends happily. I can handle a few bumps along the road, but the story MUST end mostly happily, with good feelings at the end, else I'm not interested in reading it. Now you can probably understand why The Tale of Despereaux was not my favorite story. The movie ranks slightly higher in my estimation, but only slightly.

The novel by Kate DiCamillo tells of a very small mouse named Despereaux who is not at all like the other mice. As a matter of fact, he is able to read, and is inspired by a fairy tale to be brave, noble, and honest. He falls in love with the princess of the castle, and eventually saves her from doom. There are a few sad antagonists: Roscuro, the dungeon rat who secretly loves the light, and Miggory Sow, a slave/servant girl who has been abused and neglected her entire life.

One of the things that I truly did not like in this book is the way the author basically halts the story to address the audience. She begins with phrases such as "Reader, you did not forget that..." and "Again, reader, we must...". I believe that she uses this technique so often that it is distracting from the story. She also attempts to point out in the story that as long as hope is alive, all is not lost. However, the general overall tone of the story is one of sadness.

The director of the movie worked to put a happier spin on the story. In the book, Roscuro the rat slinks from the dungeon when he wants to see light; in the end, he is not truly part of either the light or the dark, but somewhere in between. In the movie, Roscuro comes from a friendly ship on the ocean, and returns there at the end. In the book, Despereaux's parents are mostly indifferent to him; his father is more worried about what others think, and his mother is worried about her appearance. In the movie, they genuinely seem to care about Despereaux, but are limited in their abilities to love by their perspectives as mice. So it seems that the director recognized the book's potential to be a "downer", and made adjustments to keep it lighter and more entertaining.

I know that this book has received great reviews from School Library Journal, Publishers Weekly, and Booklist. It does have many good qualities: an emphasis on forgiveness, appreciation of courage, and a demonstration of rising above low expectations. I would have it in my library to share with others. Personally, however, it is not one that I would read over and over.

DiCamillo, K. (2003). The tale of Despereaux. Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press.