Mike Curato's debut picture book LITTLE ELLIOT, BIG CITY features a very small elephant --- and an even smaller mouse! Read Mike's guest post below to see just how Mouse found his way into this book, and to get a sneak peek at some early sketches of the character!
The only thing littler than Elliot in LITTLE ELLIOT, BIG CITY is the friend he makes, Mouse. Elliot faces many challenges being so small in such a big place, but he marches on. He’s able to keep a positive attitude until he is unable to procure his favorite treat, a cupcake. Elliot feels ignored and sad, until he meets Mouse, who also faces the dilemma of being so small. Elliot is able to help Mouse get a meal just out of reach, and this makes him feel very big. Afterwards, Mouse is able to help Elliot get his cupcake. The book ends with the two sharing a cupcake (and starting a friendship).
Though I’ve been drawing Elliot for nearly ten years, Mouse is a fairly recent character. Originally, the story was quite different. I tried making a story in which Elliot befriends other characters I like to draw (including a raccoon, a bear, a cat and an octopus). Mouse started appearing in dummy sketches as an “easter egg”. Mouse lived in Elliot’s apartment and would always be doing something cute in the background, but was more like a loyal pet than a friend.
When I decided to focus on the theme of size and perspective, I was exploring all the challenges Elliot faced being small. There needed to be a way for Elliot to feel BIG. I always feel a lot taller when I help someone, so I thought Elliot needed someone even smaller to help, and Mouse was the obvious choice. Mouse ends up helping Elliot in return, illustrating how we can achieve our goals, despite our size, when we work together. I also liked the idea of an elephant having a mouse friend, since it’s widely known that elephants are scared of mice. However, Elliot is not your typical elephant.
Mouse has looked pretty much the same since the beginning. One detail I added was the little notch in Mouse’s ear to give some character. That distinction comes in handy in the follow up book, LITTLE ELLIOT, BIG FAMILY, when we meet Mouse’s huge family!
Mike Curato’s background is in graphic design and digital illustration. He lives in Brooklyn, NY and can be found online at mikecurato.com and @MikeCurato.
