MOUSE IN THE HOUSE
by Ann Hassett & illustrated by John Hassett
Stylized, attractively odd paintings show a family progress through a sequence of animals. On the day they move in, sister collects flies, brother digs for bones, Mother admires cobwebs, and Father takes a nap on the floor. But Nana Quimby shrieks, “I cannot have a mouse in the house!” Father orders an owl, which scares the mouse away and is rewarded with “a bowl of onions.” But Nana hates the owl too, so a dog is ordered—and on from there. The tiger that gets rid of the alligator is rewarded with buttered toast; nobody but Nana minds any of the critters. The final straw is an elephant, by which time Nana has become either fed up or brilliant: she orders a mouse (to frighten away the elephant), and takes herself off to Florida. Spirited, folksy art. (Picture book. 2-5)