Nicolas, Where Have You Been?

When the young mouse Nicolas sets out across the great meadow alone in search of ripe red berries, he is grabbed up by the claws of a huge bird and carried high into the sky. But that is only the beginning of Nicolas's adventure. How he gets the berries he was hoping to find, and learns to trust the very creatures he thought were his enemies, makes this Leo Lionni fable one that young children will want to hear again and again.

From the Hardcover edition.

Customer Reviews:

Graphic violence depicted in this book

By Veggiemama - July 24, 2008

As always, Lionni does a marvelous job of storytelling and captivates the reader with his wonderful art in this book. However, I want to warn other parents that this book contains an image that may be disturbing to very young readers. I checked this book out at my local library for my 4 year old to read, and thankfully, I saw the picture before letting him look at the book. There is a two-page spread where the mice are declaring 'War! War on the birds!' after Nicolas has told them what has happened to him. The picture shows all of the mice descending on the birds with sharp objects and one bird is being bludgeoned by a very angry mouse. It shows him on top of the bird stabbing it, with blood spilling out. I don't know how I would have explained this act of violence to my innocent 4 year old, so I'm just glad I previewed the book before he saw it. You will definitely want to read this book yourself before giving it to your child.

VIOLENT

By Chris "Hunan#1mom" - January 14, 2008

I saw this book in the store and decided to flip through it to check it out. I always pre-read the books for content before reading to my 2.5 year old daughter. Well, I was very close to putting it in my carriage for purchase when I came across the picture of mice chasing birds with pointed objects and of one mouse standing over a bird with a pointed stick and the bird bleeding on the ground. Despite what the other reviewer said, my 2.5 year old would DEFINITELY not be confused by this picture and would point it out directly and get upset. For those of you with sensitive children, beware of this one. Don't we have enough violence in the world today without reading it to our kids before they go to sleep at night? I'm sure there must have been another way for the author to get his point across than use bloody images in a children's book. Egads.

The moral is that one bard bird doesn't make a flock...and is well done.

By Midwest Book Review - August 7, 2007

Leo Lionni's NICHOLAS, WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN? tells of one Nicholas Mouse, who is carried away by a big ugly bird while hunting for sweet red berries. Days later when he returns home his loyal friends decide to begin a war on birds - and Nicholas is still trying to tell his complete story! The moral is that one bard bird doesn't make a flock...and is well done.