Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Ten Old Men and a Mouse by Cary Fagan

This is another Tundra Book for children, and it has an unusual characteristic that I haven't see other publishers use. The back of the dustjacket is a poster! Their children's picture books are special anyway, but getting a poster is nice addition.

This is a very cute tale that should make your child smile.

Imagine ten old men meeting every day in the synagogue to pray and maintain the building. It's boring, but someone has to do and they have time.

Then one little mouse moves in. They begin by trying to trap it, but it's smarter than that. So then it becomes their pet, and they bring it treats. They even decorate the cupboard where the mouse sleeps. Suddenly they notice their mouse is getting fat and they decide to cut back on the treats. Guess what, it's NOT overweight!

One little mouse was great, they had something to talk about, something to care for. But not a FAMILY of mice!

How they resolve this is very smart, but it leaves them a bit lonely. Until their mouse comes back...

This is a very amusing story that would work very well for reading aloud. You could even ask the children to suggest snack ideas for the mouse.

I highly recommend this picture book.

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