Geo Librarian

I like animal stories as a rule, whether realistic like Jim Kjelgaard's dog stories or humorous like Dick King-Smith's or fantasy like Brian Jacque's Redwall series or The Mistmantle Chronicles by M. I. McAllister or TumTum and Nutmeg by Emily Bearn .  I could go on and on.  Obviously I am not the only one who likes these kind of stories, because they keep getting published.  One thing I find interesting and ironic, is the prevalence of  mice as main characters in many of these kind of books ( Redwall , TumTum and Nutmeg , Ralph S. Mouse , A Mouse Called Wolf , Bless this Mouse , Mouse Guard , etc.) yet in the real world, few of us are thrilled to see a mouse. The book I'm reviewing today is, of course, about a mouse.  But this book combines both realism and fantasy. Young Fredle by Cynthia Voigt Alfred A. Knopf, 2011. Grades 3-6 Reviewed from purchased copy. Fredle is an earnest young fellow suddenly cast out of his cozy home behind the kitchen ...

I admit I am rather fond of stories about mice, everything from The Tale of Despereaux to Brian Jacque's Redwall series.  Unfortunately, I can't say that I am overly fond of the real thing.  When I think of real mice, I always remember the time when I was a kid and we had a mouse die in the wall of my family's downstairs bathroom and the smell.  It was a pain to get it out.  This book kind of reminded me of that but not in a really bad way. Bless This Mouse by Lois Lowry illustrated by Eric Rohmann Houghton Mifflin Books for Children, 2011. ISBN: 978-0-547-39009-3 Reviewed from copy provided by publisher through netGalley. Hildegarde is in charge of a group of mice who live inside an actively used church.  Her job is to make sure the mice are taken care of but especially to make sure that the mice are not discovered.  If the mice are discovered there is sure to be a Great X.  Unfortunately, Hildegarde cannot be everywhere at once and severa...