The best mouse books

Do not be fooled by the cuddly creatures on the beautiful cover! This book is full of harrowing adventure, creepy tension, and frightening woodland creatures like giant spiders and deadly snakes. At least, as seen from the perspective of our main character, Tobin the mouse. Tobin’s quest is full of heart, for he has taken it upon himself to save his younger brother from the clutches of the invading spiders who stole him to a faraway lair. Their adventure reminded me of Secret of Nimh or The Lord of the Rings in that we follow a reluctant hero who rises to the occasion and shows their true self over the course of a challenging adventure. This is a terrific middle grade action-adventure story bulging with heart.

A little mouse is trying to hide its red-foil-wrapped chocolate heart, but every hiding place she finds is not safe enough for her standards. Eventually, she puts it in her mouth and eats it. Now it’s safe! This delightful picture book for preschoolers makes me smile each time I read it. The illustrations are simplistic and beautiful. They fit perfectly to the text. 

The Tale of Despereaux is the story of an unlikely hero. It reveals what happens when an overly tiny mouse with big ears dares to be different. He is fascinated by light, music, and a book left open in the library, but his peers do not approve. When Despereaux falls in love with the princess, the other mice condemn him to the dungeon. This usually means death, but Roscuro the rat intends to harm the princess, and Despereaux is determined to stop him. I enjoyed how the motivations of the key characters were subtly revealed, then brought together in clever and surprising ways. Every detail was included for a reason, making for a most satisfying read. Unable to stop, I read this modern fairy tale in one sitting.

While Spring Story is the first book in Jill Barklem’s Brambly Hedge series, all eight of them are bursting with sumptuous, hyper-detailed illustrations of a pastoral mouse society in the English countryside. Barklem’s watercolors are jam-packed (literally – so many jars of jam) with mouth-watering baked goods, flowers, and trees that any gardener would envy, and one of my favorite illustration techniques ever – the cutaway – to show the layout of the mice’s treehouses, flour mill, and other buildings that keep the tight-knit mouse village running smoothly. If you've ever salivated over the feasts of Redwall but been less-than-enthusiastic about the possibility of a weasel massacre, let the ever-sunny Spring Story scratch that itch in full, vibrant color.

Baker Cat is like a feline Cinderella, tasked to do all the hard work at the bakery. His responsibilities are endless. And at the end of the day, he’s still expected to rid the bakery of mice. Simmonds’ characterisation is faultless, with a timeless feel that reminds me of Beatrix Potter’s work.

Baker Cat is a funny and dramatic story told through a mix of speech balloons, comic panels, and traditional narrative sections. I have precious memories of sharing it with my own boys when they were young – we loved those tiny mice and Baker Cat’s delicious-looking pastries! Definitely one to read over and again.

Before I was a published author, I had a critique with author Bonny Becker on one of my works-in-progress. She’s a generous writer who knows a lot about creating characters readers truly care about. I love her comedic writing style and this is one of my favorite books. I love the persistence of Mouse in winning over curmudgeonly Bear in this unlikely tale of friendship. If you like this book, check out the other adventures in the series.

Julia Donaldson is the supremo of rhyming. I am certainly not the only writer she has inspired. All her books are really well crafted and the fact that she is a singer and very musical can be felt by reading her exemplary rhyme.  

I recommend this book, the first which made her name in this genre, because it has all the qualities of a best rhyming text. It tells a story to which children can relate, is never boring, and has an unerring and satisfying beat.

Of course fate could bring a whale and a mouse together, their bond of friendship lasting for the rest of their lives! In his matter-of-fact yet sparkling and stylish way, William Steig always made the fantastical seem unremarkable. I have given this book to at least five friends. Its quirky and gorgeous illustrations (by Steig, who was also a brilliant cartoonist) are as vital to the story as the words. Amos & Boris is just one of those books that does not condescend to young readers and is therefore as appealing to adults as children. I recommend it because Steig understood that kids can handle the deepest of deep life-and-death stories, and if those stories happen to feature animals, well...all the better!

An oldie but a goodie, this is the circular story of a king dealing with an infestation of cheery but messy mice. At the advice of his wise men, he brings in a mass of cats to chase the mice away. But the king is “most unhappy” when the mice take over his palace. What to do? The wise men recommend dogs! And so on and on, with one animal after another till the king is forced to learn how to live with the mice. My kids loved the sheer ridiculousness of the tale, the comic pictures, and the fun of knowing what would inevitably happen each time the king, with inexplicable optimism, brings in a new animal to deal with the last. A great story for telling, even when you don’t have the book, and fun for kids to illustrate themselves, as they listen. 

Gobbolino is a cat-out-of-water; he doesn’t want to be a witch’s cat. But born with magic, he’s not much good at being a house cat either. After being rejected by the witches he tries his paws at being a farm cat, a ship’s cat, a show cat, or even a princess’s cat, but his magic always lands him in trouble.

This might be the perfect concept for a children’s book (I wish I’d thought of it!); the reader gets the wish-fulfillment of seeing the magic, but we can all relate to just wanting to be normal, just wanting to be part of a loving family. It helps that the kitten is a cutie too!