Furthermore, reading serves as a gateway for the rats to discover that humans dislike them because they steal. The entire book's tone is one of being invited into a secret that only you, the reader, are accepted into. Their increased intelligence and strength allowed them to escape from NIMH and migrate to their present location on the farm.

In 2015, MGM, which had released the 1982 film, acquired the rights to the book to adapt it into a live-action/animated film.

Do not dismiss this formidable 1971 treatise about misunderstood animals by imagining a cute “Disney” tale. Enfant, j'avais vu le dessin animé de Don Bluth (une vraie merveille) et j'avais déjà été interpellée par cette histoire de rats qui évoluent suite à d'ignobles traitements dans un laboratoire. I was so into this book, I made my mom take me to the library where I checked it out so I could read ahead to find out what was coming.

His last book, Z is for Zachariah was nearly completed at the time of his death; the last few chapters were written from notes by this wife and one of his daughters. A impressive imaginative narrative that supports theory of mind development (my 10 year old is on the autistic spectrum), and poses questions on morality and civilization. Calhoun on mouse and rat population dynamics at the National Institute of Mental Health from the 1940s to the 1960s. The science aspect is interesting and makes the animal characters even more realistic and memorable.

For me the whole story is entertaining whilst being an insight into an aspect of life that we, as humans, seem to have forgotten. A Favourite Quote: There was a smell of dampness in the air as the frosted ground thawed, a smell of things getting ready to grow. I snatched it up so fast, grabbing up from under my taller classmates, swiping like Swiper has never swiped.