The Tale of Despereaux: Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup, and a Spool of Thread

　　這是一本由老鼠、耗子、公主和棄兒、光、愛、復仇與希望交織而成的小說。小老鼠悲絕因為愛上小公主而被下放死牢，卻因為心中有愛而變得勇敢、願意原諒；渴望見到光的耗子明暗因一次出遊，嚇死皇后，被公主嚴厲的喝斥，深深覺得受傷而充滿仇恨，一心想報復，卻因有光的引導終能向上提升；懷著一點點恨意和很多悲傷、仁慈以及願意為人設想的豌豆公主，終因體貼而逃過耗子的仇恨，並且讓渴望被愛、被注意的棄兒母豬密歌有了希望。

得獎紀錄    

　　★ 2004年紐伯瑞文學金牌獎

媒體推薦

　　上乘的故事總是含有深意，又總是隱藏得很微妙，在故事行進中，不知不覺就讓那層深意鑽進讀者心裡……內頁插畫也傳達了故事的美妙。──書單雜誌

　　狄卡密歐不但展現她多方面的才華，更讓童話和傳統題材綻放光芒。我只能由你們去想像這場說書有多精采，唯一肯定的是，你們將有如進入一場盛宴般欣悅。──出版人週刊

　　悲絕，這隻小小的老鼠，比兒童文學裡牠所有的同類都更惹人連愛。故事沿襲了許多古老的文學手法，但突梯的情節轉折、奇特的角色塑造及甜美的敘事，仍是狄卡密歐無可取代的風格。──學校圖書館雜誌

　　——中文書介摘錄自《雙鼠記：一個老鼠、公主、湯和棉線的故事》，台灣東方出版

A brave mouse, a covetous rat, a wishful serving girl, and a princess named Pea come together in Kate DiCamillo's Newbery Medal-winning tale.

Welcome to the story of Despereaux Tilling, a mouse who is in love with music, stories, and a princess named Pea. It is also the story of a rat called Roscuro, who lives in the darkness and covets a world filled with light. And it is the story of Miggery Sow, a slow-witted serving girl who harbors a simple, impossible wish. These three characters are about to embark on a journey that will lead them down into a horrible dungeon, up into a glittering castle, and, ultimately, into each other's lives. What happens then? As Kate DiCamillo would say: Reader, it is your destiny to find out.
With black-and-white illustrations and a refreshed cover by Timothy Basil Ering.

Kate DiCamillo lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She is the author of BECAUSE OF WINN-DIXIE, a Newbery Honor book, and THE TIGER RISING, which was a National Book Award Finalist. Kate DiCamillo says, ＂A few years ago, my best friend’s son asked me if I would write a story for him. ’Well, ’ I said, ’I don’t normally write stories on command.’ ’But this is a story that I know you would want to tell, ’ he said. ’It’s about an unlikely hero. He has exceptionally large ears.’ ’What happens to this hero?’ I asked. ’I don’t know, ’ he said. ’That’s why I want you to write it down, so we can find out.’ Well, Luke Bailey, three years later, here is the story of what happened to your exceptionally large-eared, unlikely hero.＂

Timothy Basil Ering is the author and illustrator of THE STORY OF FROG BELLY RAT BONE, and he also created the cover image and interior black-and-white drawings for 33 SNOWFISH by Adam Rapp. Of his inspiration for the illustrations in The TALE OF DESPEREAUX, he says, ＂My mother may have been a mouse in her past life, as I watched her save and help so many mice in our house while I was growing up. The illustrations I’ve done of Despereaux Tilling are, in a way, my tribute to her.＂ Timothy Basil Ering’s artwork has appeared in books, magazines, theater sets, private murals, and fine art galleries.