The Tale of Despereaux Themes

There's plenty of misery to go around in The Tale of Despereaux. Some characters are treated in very cruel ways. Despereaux is sentenced to death with his own family standing there; they don't even...

Family life can be awfully complicated. That's surely the case for Despereaux, Princess Pea, and Mig in The Tale of Despereaux. Despereaux doesn't come from the most loving family; after all, his f...

We all have those times when we just want to be left alone. You know, go to your room, shut the door, and get away from your annoying brother or the friend who's bugging you. But that's because we...

Though Despereaux only meets Princess Pea once before he's sent down to the dungeons, he remains completely devoted to her in The Tale of Despereaux. Like a noble knight in the fairy tales that Des...

There's no question who the masters of deceit are in The Tale of Despereaux: the rats. They lie to everyone. They're expert con men. Botticelli and Roscuro both delight in getting prisoners to trus...

Ever hear the expression "Revenge is sweet"? Well, guess what—it's not. At least not in this story. It's the least sweet thing ever.The story of revenge in The Tale of Despereaux is the story of...

We all know people who blame everyone else for their problems. They're usually pretty unhappy. Terrible things happen to Despereaux, Mig, Princess Pea, and even Roscuro in The Tale of Despereaux, b...

What's the first thing you think when you hear the word "mouse?" We're guessing it's not "courage." There's even a saying, "Are you a man or a mouse?" Meaning, a wimp. Maybe that's why children enj...

In The Tale of Despereaux, Despereaux may be a tiny mouse, but he has big principles. He sticks to his principles even when they're unpopular; he values art and music even though it leads to him be...

Beauty. Art. Music. Not things you usually associate with rodents, right? Seriously, when was the last time you saw a mouse at the movies or a concert? In a seat, that is. There's a lot of darkness...