Charlie and Mouse by Laurel Snyder illustrated by Emily Hughes

Have you ever heard of a bedtime banana?  

Find out more - read Charlie and Mouse today.

This is my favourite thing - discovering a very satisfying story inside a book for a beginning reader. Charlie and Mouse is a perfect book.  It balances humour with events and relationships that the youngest children will identify with.

Chapter One begins with Charlie - there is a lump in his bed.

"Are you awake?' Charlie asked.
'No,' said the lump. 'I am sleeping.'
'How can you be sleeping?' asked Charlie.
'You are talking.'
The lump stopped talking."

Charlie convinces his brother it is time to get up because today is the neighborhood party and everyone will be there. As the pair head down to the park everyone joins their parade.  The park is empty but this group of kids are ready for fun.  "It was the best party ever."

The next day Charlie decides the boys need money and he proposes selling rocks. The boys set off with their rocks but things do not quite go to plan. Instead of selling rocks they end up collecting rocks and even though they are paid $2 by their neighbors they become so engrossed in getting those rocks home they miss a perfect ice cream opportunity.

Are you still wondering about that bedtime banana? Sorry all I can say is find this book!

The other strength of Charlie and Mouse is the wonderful words such as sustain and moaned used by Laurel Snyder author of Orphan Island a book, for older students, which I adored.  Here are a very detailed set of teaching notes from the publisher.

Here are some review comments :

Yet when I read this story what I found was a quietly subversive, infinitely charming, eerily rereadable early chapter book not just worth reading but worth owning.  School Library Journal

A top-notch early reader, with words and art in perfect step. Kirkus

The adventures we share with the brothers are simple, and at the same time they are rich. Through the looking Glass


Charlie and Mouse is the winner of the (Theodore Seuss) Geisel Award.  Try to find some past winners if you are looking for utterly perfect books for your youngest readers.  I am looking forward to reading the second book in this series.