Tuesday, July 9, 2024

Hide me, Kipper! by Mick Inkpen


A small squeaky mouse comes running up to Kipper. He jumps into the 'foldy bit' in the middle of the page. He needs to hide because the cat is after him. The mouse is safe for now but then Kipper suggests hiding in his messy toy box. Kipper cleverly distracts the cat with his Sock Thing which has a mouse-shaped bulge down one end. Next the mouse tries to hide on Kipper's head under his ears but that doesn't work. 


The cat spies the mouse. Kipper holds on to the mouse and runs to the top of Big Hill but unfortunately he drops the little mouse and he ...

"went tumbling all the way back down Big Hill straight into the paws of you know who. 'Gotcha!' said the cat."

Spoiler alert - the cat does not eat the mouse - have you guessed why? Go back and think about the title.

I picked up this Kipper book at a recent charity book sale. It is in mint condition with no markings and only cost $1. That's why I love going to these fairs. This book was published in 2008 but it is still available.  Someone probably bought this as a gift for a child. Hopefully it was read but perhaps only once and then it has sat on a shelf waiting to go to the fair in 2024 and now onto me and from me onto a lucky grandchild.

I am a massive fan of the Kipper books. They have just the right amount of text, very appealing illustrations, a dog character that everyone loves, and they do contain very satisfying stories. This one even has a 'gasp' moment when your young reading companion will think the tiny mouse is sure to be eaten by the cat. This book also cleverly 'breaks the fourth wall.'






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