The mouse who narrates this tale seems cautiously intrigued when a human parent and child (both of whom present white) move into a house where the rodents have been living under the floorboards. But the other mice are alarmed; after all, they’ve all heard Uncle Rupert’s tales. People “are three THOUSAND times bigger than we are,” they “make us run in wheels for their own entertainment,” and they have “brightly colored fur” (this last is paired with a fresh and contemporary image depicting a trio of kids with hair dyed different hues). We follow the mice as they sneak out at night to explore the contents of the moving boxes, making a mess. The next day, the child sets a glass jar over a hole in the floorboard and catches the narrator. Initially scared, the rodents come to the protagonist’s rescue and soon discover the child’s benevolent purpose: building a “Mouse Land” from the emptied boxes. Just as the mice are about to celebrate, a menacing-looking housecat shows up, sending the rodents scurrying, nixing the possibility of cross-species friendship, and bringing the tale to an abrupt end. Mixed-media illustrations recalling the artwork from Emily Arnold McCully’s mouse books set a cozy tone, while effective use of composition and layout differentiate the human and rodent realms. The narrator’s exuberant voice, marked by enthusiastic asides, is endearing, and images of the mice romping will enchant even the most rodent-averse.
