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English Titles

		Mouse Woman and the Mischief-Makers Christie Harris Illustrations: Douglas Tait Vancouver: Raincoast Books, 2004. 149 p. ISBN 1551927519 Ages 12 and up Originally published: Toronto: McClelland & Stewart, 1977
Mouse Woman and the Mischief-Makers Source

Christie Harris is considered to have been one of Canada's best authors of juvenile literature. A Member of the Order of Canada and recipient of many literary awards, she was a prolific author. She is best known for her works based on Pacific Coast Aboriginal legends — in particular, for her telling of the stories of Mouse Woman.

Mouse Woman is a narnau — a spirit being who appears as a mouse or a tiny grandmother. Tait's illustrations in this book portray her in grandmotherly form. She is a good spirit, concerned with helping the young; of particular importance to her is maintaining balance and order in the universe. In the narnauk world, she is seen as interfering and as a busybody; however, she feels that her goal of keeping everything fair and equal justifies her actions.

The Mouse Woman stories were originally published during the 1970s in three volumes; they have recently been reissued so that a new generation of readers can enjoy them. This book contains seven of the Harris Mouse Woman legends.

–MMc