Through the Looking Glass Children's Book Reviews
Charlie and Mouse and Grumpy
Illustrator: Emily Hughes
Fiction Series
For ages 5 to 7
Chronicle Books, 2017 ISBN: 978-1452137483
One day there is a knock at the door, and when Charlie and Mouse go to see who is there, they find that Grumpy is standing on their porch. Of course they are thrilled to see their grandfather, and Charlie proceeds to tell Grumpy about all the things that he can do now, now that he is “big.” Poor Mouse feels a little left out because, though he has not grown smaller, he has not really grown big like Charlie either. Instead, he is “medium.” When Mouse considers what it means to be medium, he realizes that perhaps his lack of inches and years is not such a bad thing after all.
When the boys wake up in the morning they are eager to go and pounce on Grumpy while he is asleep. A proper pounce only really works when the recipient is in the land of nod. Unfortunately, Grumpy rises very early, which means that Charley and Mouse will probably never have the opportunity to pounce him, which is rather sad. They don’t realize then that they are going to have quite a few opportunities to pounce on Grumpy because Grumpy is prone to napping during the day.
One evening Charlie and Mouse’s parents go out on a date and the boys get to have a Grumpy Night. The evening turns out to be just as wonderful as they expect it will be. The only thing that does not go as planned is the required good night song. It turns out that Grumpy is not much of a singer.
This wonderful little book beautifully captures the warm relationship that two little boys share with their grandfather. A delightful thread of humor runs through the chapters, which adult readers will find quite charming.
