My Library has a Mouse!!!

Library Mouse

Written by Daniel Kirk

Illustrated by Daniel Kirk

(Book Design by Chad Beckerman)

Scholastic, 2007

30 pages

Fantasy

            Choosing this book was easy.  Choices are always easy when they come from the hands of a bright eyed young man who thrust the book upon me and said “This is one of my FAVORITE books, Mom.”  I sat down, read the book, and really enjoyed it.  I also thought the life lessons were as well presented as the story.  Library Mouse is about a quiet, meek mouse named Sam who lives at the library and comes out at night to read ALL the books he can.  Well, after doing this for a while, he decides to write his own books and places them around the library.  After a few books pop up on the shelves, the librarian leaves Sam a note asking to meet him, and the little mouse panics.  You should really read the rest of the book for yourself to see what he does.

            The illustrations in the book are cartoons with vivid colors, earth tones, and fine detail.  I really liked how the books on the shelves and their spines/titles are clear for young readers.  In a similar manner, the facial features and textures were softly, but clearly detailed.  If I could pet the mouse on the page, I’d truly expect he would be soft to the touch.  Some of the pictures are full pages, but others are framed in soft circles and ovals with a chalky edge.  The text is large enough for a young reader to read clearly, but it does not overpower the page.  The text is in the negative space of some of the pages which includes some illustrations.  Some text is included the illustrations themselves.

            K-6 grades would benefit from this story.  The younger readers will like the colors and characters while the older readers will enjoy the messages of the book.  The book’s messages of effort and achievement work well as a character education lesson.  It can also be a great component in a science lesson about mice with a life cycle interactive learning station.  Finally, Library Mouse is a great introduction to lessons on how to behave in the library and how the books are placed on the shelves and why.  Purported awards for Library Mouse include the National Parenting Publication Gold Award in 2007, the International Reading Association Teacher’s Choice award in 2008, and the Young Hoosier Book Award in 2011.

Book Trailer for sequel, Library Mouse A Museum Adventure with Author/Illustrator Daniel Kirk: