"Mouse knew that the perfect home needed to be warm and cosy, with plenty of food to eat, and more importantly, friends to share it with."
As an adult who reads tons and tons of picture books I think it important to remind yourself that for a child this book, any book, is a new experience. The plot of this book will be very familiar to adults and it is very easy to anticipate the happy ending but your very young reading companion won't have that expectation and that is why this is a truly sweet Christmas story. Oh and this book is sprinkled with glitter pages and shiny illustrations which are sure to be enjoyed especially at Christmas. Here is the web site for Rebecca Harry.
I picked this book up this morning at a charity book sale. It is a fairly new book (2020) but it was only $1 while the actual retail price is $23 [9781788006897]. One of the real treats for m, at this end of year book fair, is arriving through the door to the first table which is always filled with Christmas stories. I picked up about ten from the table this year.
It is Christmas Eve and little Mouse is in a hurry to find a new home before it gets dark. As she scurries along she meets some other forest animals. Each of them has a small problem. Our little hero Mouse does not hesitate. She steps right up and helps each of them in turn.
Bunny need help with setting up her warm fire in her cosy burrow.
Fox is keen to make a cake but time is running out. Mouse lends a hand and then leaves the den with the delicious smell of fresh cake wafting behind her.
Bear want to decorate his cave but he needs another pair of hands. With the help of Mouse the cave soon looks so perfect and festive.
Finally Mouse finds a small hollow in a tree trunk. It is desolate place but it is empty. She runs outside to gather some leaves to make her bed. Outside she sees each of her friends but when she tries to say hello they all rush past - too busy to pay her any attention.
"Mouse sadly trudged back to her new house."
Have you guessed what all those busy friends were doing?
Until quite recently I didn't pay very much attention to publishers. Of course I knew books from Walker Books UK and Candlewick USA are always splendid and that our New Zealand friends at Gecko Press can be relied on to publish wonderful books from around the world. My book today comes from Nose Crow. Add that name to your list of splendid publishers - you absolutely will never be disappointed if you find a book published by Nosy Crow - they are always terrific.
One last thing - I find the title of this book quite intriguing. Mouse needs a house and it is Christmas time so this book is about a house for a mouse but it also about a house where everyone comes together to celebrate Christmas and of course Mouse herself looks like a Christmas mouse with her jaunty green scarf and red pack. The snow filled pages are soft and almost tactile and the gentle messages of kindness, time, generosity and true friendship resonate though this lovely story.
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