It's a short story but the characters are fully formed through the combination of concise writing and gorgeous scenery, and the whole story prompts comparisons of other mythologies- making it an ideal supplementary read for pupils learning about Greeks, Romans or Vikings.

No spoilers, but it built tension wonderfully, and I enjoyed what happened to two of the children, as I think children's fiction can sometimes shy away from fully embracing the consequences of a characters actions.Publishers Weekly, in a starred review, wrote, "First cousin to Philip Pullman’s imaginings, this contemporary fable about man's power to create and to destroy may be controversial in settings where questioning biblical creation stories is taboo, but where questioning is encouraged, it will challenge and provoke. A powerful and thought-provoking text, illustrated in graphic novel-style, which will enable children to explore the beauty and dangers of nature as well as the importance of boundaries and self-restraint. Along the way, they'll be dazzled by the lush lyricism of the tale and the wild emotional swings from page to page, as well as McKean's creative use of mixed materials and compositional space. The story in itself is a wonderfully crafted delight, it’s concept and execution by David Almond is masterful as you would expect, which highlights the impact of the story. The Gods are happy with their creation, they’ve built the sea, sky, mountains and many other magnificent things to fill the earth…but now they are tired and require sleep.

I'd recommend it to any junior school pupil, and I'd certainly recommend it to colleagues and friends who are teachers.The narrative alone is a delight to read aloud but the combination of story with illustrations make this work remarkable. Aber die Geschichte, die mit Langeweile und Ausprobieren beginnt und dann eben - trotz des Eingreifens der Götter - nicht wirklich ein happy-end hat, sondern wo die Früchte des eigenen Tuns, in diesem Fall Erfindens bzw. His work incorporates drawing, painting, photography, collage, found objects, digital art and sculpture. One by one the children conjure, from twigs and leaves and stones, a mousy thing, a chirpy thing, and a twisty legless thing. As the children's ideas take shape, the power of their visions proves to be greater than they, or the gods, could ever have imagined.

That's until Harry, Sue and Little Ben begin to fill the gaps of the world: with a mousy thing, a chirpy thing and a twisty legless thing. His children’s novel My Name is Mina (2010), a prequel to Skellig, was nominated for a 2012 Carnegie Medal. Wild and alive, this visually extravagant fable of the marvel, power and active nature of the creative process howls at the moon. David Almond’s books are strange, unsettling wild things – unfettered by the normal constraints of children’s literature. In the end, the Gods decide to make Mice, Birds and snakes but they think Wolves should not be made.

I like little Ben because he was very understandable about doing those things which were not good for him. David Almond’s Mouse Bird Snake Wolf centres around a world that has been created by the gods – heavily influenced by the Greek Gods of myth and legend. I loved it a lot and am giving it 4 stars because there were moments when I was uncertain of the motivations.

To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Almond and McKean, the collaborators behind THE SAVAGE and SLOG'S DAD, take on themes worthy of Greek tragedy: human ambition, the emergence of evil, and the power of the individual to resist it. That’s until Harry, Sue and little Ben begin to fill the gaps of the world: with a mousy thing, a chirpy thing and a twisty legless thing. Dave McKean is a world-renowned artist, designer, and film director who has illustrated several books for children, including Coraline , The Day I Swapped My Dad for Two Goldfish , and The Wolves in the Walls , all by Neil Gaiman, and two prior titles by David Almond.After graduating he worked as a teacher for five years before moving to a remote artists’ commune in Norfolk to concentrate on his writing. From the stunning cover art hinted at by the faux-die-cut jacket to a last glimpse of the louche and negligent gods and the wolf lurking in the darkness deep underground, a fascinating, provocative collaboration. I don't want to rate it a 5 because there wasn't enough writing in it so there wasn't enough information. David Almond was born in Newcastle upon Tyne in 1951 and grew up in the small mining town of Felling.