Claris, The Chicest Mouse in Paris Holiday Heist is an acquired taste

When I was a kid the only comic book that one of my friends was allowed to read was Richie Rich. Whenever we’d go on trips I’d bring my Spider-Man comic books and he’d bring the ones that he was allowed to read. It’s not that I didn’t like Richie Rich, it’s just that there was very little relatable in that comic book. Cut somewhat from the same cloth is the children’s illustrated book series Claris. Claris, The Chicest Mouse in Paris Holiday Heist leaves me with a conflicted feeling. It’s obviously cute, has beautiful drawings and nice characters, but is annoying and pretentious at the same time.

Claris The Chicest Mouse In Paris Holiday Heist and the Claris book series knows its audience. Those girls who are pre-school through third grade, and like high fashion already know that this series is their jam. The operative word in that previous sentence was high fashion. If mom is down with, or knows about Valentino, Chanel, Fendi or Louboutins then they’ll know the vibe that the background in Claris puts forth. As a man who’s more akin to John Wick than shoes that are known for their trademark red soles, this book is an entirely different world.

It’s completely cool to experience differences in culture, socio-economic status and artistic styles. However, the fact that I’m reading this book in the midst of a pandemic when upteen thousands of people have lost their jobs I feel like I’m reading an anti-Bonfire of the Vanities. It’s important to say that I’m reading the book as opposed to watching the movie because my friends on the upper east-side wouldn’t stand for that plebian gutter flack. OK, the farther away I get from Claris, the more I don’t like it.

The book centers around Claris, a fancy mouse from Paris who is visiting New York City with her human family. Their daughter, the Brat is appropriately named and constantly screaming about her lack of gifts. Claris hangs out with Monsieur, a cat who accompanies them as they’re toted around in a Chanel bag. On the way to the Cartier store Claris sees two homeless mice who are asking her for food. Alas, Claris is cheese-less and although she feels bad it’s Christmas time in the Big Apple.

At the store the two critters peek out of their carrying case and see a kindly old man who wants to get his wife’s antique ring polished. Unfortunately when he puts in on the counter a white cat paw reaches out from a secret compartment in a Gucci bag and steals it! The sticky-pawed feline is then carted away by some socialite in a red dress, those red-bottomed shoes. They pass some store called Bergdorf Goodman where they hail a cab. Thankfully Claris and Monsieur grab onto the cab’s  antenna and are able to see where the bag is going.

In the penthouse they discover a gray cat who’s dressed in a black and white striped shirt with a gold dollar sign necklace. Said cleptomaniac tabby is easily subdued, the Brat wants more gifts from Cartier, Claris manages to return all of the stolen goods and Monsieur grabs a plateful of cheese for everyone to enjoy.

I’m not judging. OK, I’m trying not to judge. There is so much about Claris, The Chicest Mouse In Paris Holiday Heist that should bother me, but it’s wrapped in such a cute, high-brow package. Tempered with the right message I could read this to our daughter, but it would come with paragraphs of caveats. “This is a fancy bag that costs 10 times the cost of mom’s bag, you don’t need to pay 90% more just for the brand name. Her shoes are red on the bottom and yours can be too when I purchase some high-gloss paint”, that’s how my conversation would go.

Holiday Heist is escapist pre-k through 3^rd grade fun. It lives and operates in a different world than most of us. All we can do is hope that those who earnestly read the book are given the opportunity to see different viewpoints or read some STEM books. As an adult I can see the lessons that the book is trying to teach, it’s just that there are so many antagonistic elements in the book that it completely outweighs the silver lining of Claris’ good intentions.

Claris The Chicest Mouse in Paris Holiday Heist is by Megan Hess and on Hardie Grant.

There are affiliate links in this post.