Karen Coats (June 2013). "Mouse Bird Snake Wolf by David Almond (review)". The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books. Johns Hopkins University Press. 66 (10): 452. doi: 10.1353/bcc.2013.0366. S2CID 84881043 . Retrieved 21 December 2016.

He is an author often suggested on National Curriculum reading lists in the United Kingdom and has attracted the attention of academics who specialise in the study of children's literature.As well as moving the story along the words and pictures demand to be lingered over. There is a captivating simplicity about the unshowy lsnguage. By contrast the pictures are dramatic, striking, gorgeously lyrical. Little Ben, who starts it all off with his mouse, is mouse-like himself, with his thatch of blond hair and expressive nose. There's a birdiness to Sue, with her outstretched gestures, and a snakiness to Harry in the wiggly outlines of his clothes. With such subtle connections the words and pictures balance each other. The story balances beautifully – until that wolf. It was a bad narrative for me since there wasn't much description in it, and it was also extremely short. I found the story to be a bit repetitive, but it would be fascinating for young readers and anybody else who read it, regardless of age. A constant theme running through Almond’s extraordinary work is the power of the imagination, a wonderful thing but risky and dangerous. Here the children, not the gods, are the real makers, but can they live with what they make? Can they unmake it, or are wolves a part of our own nature?’ The Guardian

urn:lcp:mousebirdsnakewo0000almo_b5i7:epub:5cc6d5e4-b54c-4d13-a82c-c0b30d8cd6e7 Foldoutcount 0 Identifier mousebirdsnakewo0000almo_b5i7 Identifier-ark ark:/13960/s2mnjkf73vw Invoice 1652 Isbn 9781406345995Because the narrative is extremely metaphoric of how the children go about living their everyday lives in an incomplete world that the gods created, the novel starts off in a strange, eerie tone. Because it appeared that the gods were still pondering what to add to the universe, it was as though this time period did not exist in the narrative. As a result, I believe that time has passed for all eternity or for many years, but there is no indication of when it did so. David Almond is a British children's writer who has penned several novels, each one to critical acclaim. He was born and raised in Felling and Newcastle in post-industrial North East England and educated at the University of East Anglia. When he was young, he found his love of writing when some short stories of his were published in a local magazine. He started out as an author of adult fiction before finding his niche writing literature for young adults. One of the best-loved and finest writers of today, David Almond made an immediate impact with Skellig, his first book. The moving story of a boy’s discovery of a strange creature in the shed which can be interpreted in many ways introduced some to the recurrent themes of David Almond’s writing. Infused with a touch of magic or the supernatural or ‘belief’, David Almond writes sensitively about the inner complexities of growing up. Much influenced by the landscape of Tyneside where he was brought up and still lives, David Almond’s books have a strong sense of place especially in titles such as Heaven’s Eyes, The Fire-Eater and Kit’s Wilderness. Although often clearly set in some particular time, there is a timeless quality to David Almond’s stories which give them enduring appeal.

Mouse Bird Snake Wolf". Reading Time. Children's Book Council of Australia. 57 (3): 20. August 2013 . Retrieved 21 December 2016. [ dead link]urn:lcp:mousebirdsnakewo0000almo_s0m8:epub:942a5d82-331a-4b97-82fb-5c5da9d32ade Foldoutcount 0 Identifier mousebirdsnakewo0000almo_s0m8 Identifier-ark ark:/13960/t39135d67 Invoice 1652 Isbn 9781406322897