Through the Looking Glass Children's Book Reviews
Side by side
Illustrator: Debi Gliori
Picture Book
For ages 4 to 6
Scholastic, 2015 ISBN: 978-0545813266
Wintermouse Wood is home for a wide variety of creatures. There are foxes, owls, rabbits, squirrel, bats, and frogs, and underneath a large oak tree lives a large family of mice. The “tiniest, weeniest, youngest” of the mouse children is Little Mouseling.
Little Mouseling is happiest when she is with others, but because she is so small she sometimes gets left out when her brothers and sisters go out to play. She begs them to wait for her, but inevitably she finds herself alone and with no one to play with.
The good news is that there are lots of animals in the wood who would be happy to be spend their time with Little Mouseling. The problem is that all of the animals who offer to be her best friend are very different from the little mouse child. How is Little Mouseling supposed to be friend with Toad Flip if she can’t swim; how can she play with Big Squirrel Brown if she is too scared to climb trees; Little Mouseling cannot fly so Owl Hooty cannot be her friend, and Batty Fangs’ peculiar schedule simply won’t work for a mouse child who stays awake during the day. It would seem that no one in the wood is the right friend for her.
In this delightful picture book a charming rhyming text is paired with Debi Gliori’s wonderful artwork to give children a story that is universal in its appeal. Finding someone to spend time with, someone who has the same interests as you, isn’t always easy. When you do find that special person their presence can make your life much richer and happier. Children will be delighted when they see that the animal Little Mouseling is seeking is actually there all the time.
