TOE SHOE MOUSE

A little mouse finds friendship at the ballet.

In a comically formal first-person account, the mouse recounts how, while fleeing from rats, he found himself in a grand old theater and discovered the beautiful sounds and movements of ballet. His efforts to make himself at home go awry when theatergoers and on-stage performers chase him away, but he finds refuge in a “small satin crevice” in a room filled with toe shoes, flowers, costumes and a ballerina. The two exchange gifts; the little mouse learns that his dancer prefers bits of rickrack, and she leaves him a mouse-shaped cookie. Friendship follows as the mouse gains a ribbon for his neck, a dancing partner, a name (Tendu) and a new home. Carr’s tale is sweetly told with just a hint of danger, though little dancers may be disappointed at the absence of any actual rehearsal or performance scenes. Bell’s pencil and digitally rendered illustrations in teals and rosy pinks provide a pretty setting for a pretty little tale.

A honey-coated story of interspecies friendship.