MONKEY-HOUSE MOUSE MAKES A (TOTALLY NOT SCARY) BOOK

A storytelling mouse spreads the word that some animals are not as scary as humans think they are in Tatchell and Perko’s picture book.

Mouse loves telling stories to her zoo friends. While they live in cages, she roams and learns about the world, sharing her adventures with them; her greatest dream is to write a book like the ones at the zoo’s gift shop. One day, when she’s spotted, all the humans panic at the sight of the little mouse, making her question, “Why are people SCARED of me, yet love the grizzly bear?” With the help of her zoo friends, Mouse collects stories about supposedly scary animals, like Spider, Komodo dragon, and Mouse herself. When Mouse sneaks her book of these stories into the gift shop, it becomes a hit. Tatchell deftly blends themes of friendship, creativity, and looking beyond appearances in a way that never feels preachy. The strong rhyming text scans well throughout, with stress words in all caps and dialogue in a larger font. Perko’s appealing, detail-packed illustrations depict mostly realistic animals, their expressions charmingly human. (The difference between the illustrated stuffed animals and their real zoo counterparts is slight enough to cause humorous confusion.) The end pages encourage young readers to follow Mouse’s example and create their own homemade books.

A clever celebration of animals and friends who support each other’s dreams.