Charlie and Tyler at the Seaside by Helen Craig

Tuesday Treasure

Charlie (country mouse) receives a letter from his friend Tyler (city mouse) suggesting they meet for an exciting DAY AT THE SEASIDE. Charlie does not crave excitement but he is a loyal friend. The pair meet at the oak tree and Mrs Pigeon gives them a ride to the seaside in her postbag. On arrival they see a small motorboat. They climb on board and the boat takes off. Have you seen the movie Stuart Little and the scene with the remote controlled boats? A boy on the shore has the controls for the little motor boat. Luckily Charlie and Tyler are able to scramble to safety as the boat crashes into some rocks. 

On the beach Tyler finds treasure - a toy sword and a metal badge which he can use a shield. Charlie finds a little bell. This is a very English seaside resort and so their next stop is the fun pier with rides, a puppet show and the hall of mirrors. Lunch is easy to find as careless humans drop pieces of sausage, popcorn, toffee apple and chips. 

The day is going really well but then disaster strikes. A huge bird, possibly a sea eagle, swoops down and grabs Tyler. Charlie is desperate to help. Remember the treasures from the beach? Tyler uses his sword and Charlie uses his bell and Tyler is rescued from the cliff top nest. 

"Safe and sound at Charlie's home, they sat on the porch and talked over what happened. 'What a fine adventure we had!' said Tyler. Charlie wasn't so sure. However, on one thing they did agree - they had both been terribly, terribly BRAVE!"

Helen Craig is a master of mice and other small creatures. I'm sure you are familiar with her Angelina books. I first saw her work in the Margaret Mahy book Jam and then in my former school library we had Susie and Alfred: The Night of the Paperbag Monsters and the sequel Susie and Alfred: A Welcome for Annie.

Helen Craig wrote two books about Charlie (country mouse) and Tyler (city mouse) but sadly both are out of print. 

There are lots of books where you can meet the Town Mouse and the Country Mouse. One of my favourites is The Country Mouse by Louise Pfanner. Sadly I do not own a copy so I cannot share an image of the cover here with you. Here are some others worth seeking out: