Table of Contents
A BETTER MOUSETRAP?
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Hasbro’s Mousetrap is a board game in which players assemble a Rube-Goldberg-style mousetrap and attempt to capture their opponents’ mice. The trap – in itself an education in cause, effect, and simple machines – is a kicky conglomeration of gears, cranks, levers, buckets (and a bathtub, a staircase, and a kicking shoe). The game is generally recommended for ages 6-10, though in my experience younger kids need adult help. Which is fine, because Mousetrap is a hoot. |
| Trap a mouse online (and learn math skills) with Mouse Trap, an interactive strategy game. | |
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For a history of mousetraps, see Jack Hope’s “A Better Mousetrap” – which originally appeared in the October 1996 issue of American Heritage magazine. Readers discover that the U.S. Patent Office has 39 official sub-categories for mousetraps, among them “Smiting,” “Constrictive Noose,” and “Electrocuting and Explosive.” |
| From the March 2011 issue of Atlantic magazine, see Nicholas Jackson’s “Mousetraps” (subtitled “A Symbol of the American Entrepreneurial Spirit”). |
Scientific Mice and Rats
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Albert Martin’s Oh Rats! The Story of Rats and People (Dutton Juvenile Books, 2006) is a nicely done 48-page overview of the history and science of rats, spiced with quirky information and cool statistics. For ages 8-12. |
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Debbie Ducommun’s The Complete Guide to Rat Training (TFH Publications, Inc., 2008), illustrated with appealing rat photos, has background information on feral and pet rats, and a wealth of suggestions for training a pet rat using a variety of different techniques. Included are suggestions for rat games and science projects, a rat intelligence test, and instructions for building a rat-sized maze. |
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Mice & Rats has science projects and experiments with mice and rats, recommended for grades 4-6, 7-9, and 10-12. Projects include studies of diet and weight gain, territoriality, learning and memory, and more. |
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On You Tube, see The Curious History of the Lab Rat. |
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Robert Sullivan’s Rats (Bloomsbury USA, 2005), subtitled “Observations on the History and Habitat of the City’s Most Unwanted Inhabitants,” is a thoroughly interesting, though somewhat gicky, study of New York City’s invasive rats. For teens and adults. |
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In The Lab Rat Chronicles (Perigee Trade, 2011), neuroscientist Kelly Lambert explains what laboratory rats tell us about the human condition. It turns out that their behavior – in terms of everything from family values to stress responses – is a lot like ours. For teens and adults. |
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Stephen Jay Gould’s A Biological Homage to Mickey Mouse traces the evolution of Mickey Mouse from lanky and rat-like to short, wide-eyed, and appealing over the course of his long cartoon career. The essay, included in Gould’s The Panda’s Thumb (W.W. Norton & Company, 1992), is an interesting evolutionary discussion for teenagers and adults. |
| Rats are astonishingly nice. They free trapped labmates in distress, and even give up chocolate to do so. Read about empathy and rats in Wired‘s “Rats Free Trapped Friends.” |
MICE AND RATS IN THE MOVIES
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Ratatouille (2007) is the story of Remy, a rat who dreams of becoming a great French chef – in spite of the fact that the restaurants of Paris don’t want rats in their kitchens. Rated G. |
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In An American Tail (1986), Fievel – a young Russian mouse – becomes separated from his family while emigrating to America. Until he finds them, he must survive on his own in the New World. Rated G. |
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Charlotte’s Web (2006), based on E.B. White’s wonderful book, is the story of Wilbur, an enchanting little pig, and how Charlotte, the spider who lives in his pen, befriends him and saves him from being turned into pork and bacon. Among Wilbur’s acquaintances is Templeton, a shamelessly selfish and gluttonous rat. Rated G. |
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Disney’s classic Fantasia (1940, which features eight short animations set to selections of classical music, features “The Sorceror’s Apprentice,” in which a harried Mickey tries some of his master’s spells and finds they’ve gotten out of hand. Rated G. |
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There are dozens of movie versions of Cinderella, but the 1950 cartoon features wonderful mice Gus and Jacques, who have a lot to do with getting Cinderella to the ball. Rated G. |
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In Flushed Away (2006), Roddy – an upscale pampered pet rat – is flushed down the toilet of his penthouse apartment and ends up in the sewer world of Ratropolis, where he meets the feisty rat-girl Rita and comes up against the evil Toad. Rated PG. |
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Steamboat Willie (1928) was the debut of Mickey, possibly the world’s most famous mouse. It was also the first sound cartoon. |