A spirited retelling with lively dialogue and many colorful embellishments, plus enchantingly detailed illustrations in cleverly varied frames and spreads. As illustrator of Katherine Holabird's ``Angelina'' books, Craig is a master of mice behaving like people. Here, the diminutive household arrangements of ``Charlie'' and ``Tyler'' are charming; in the meantime, there are some splendidly dramatic takes, especially during Charlie's encounter with the cat, while the tiny protagonists are delightfully individual and appealing--as is this well-worn tale in its fresh new garb. (Picture book. 4-8)
