Mice, Hamsters, Guinea Pigs & Squirrels Books

The Tale of Despereaux: Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup and a Spool of Thread (Tale of Despereaux)

Kate Dicamillo

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 376 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Kate DiCamillo, author of the Newbery Honor book Because of Winn-Dixie, spins a tidy tale of mice and men where she explores the "powerful, wonderful, and ridiculous" nature of love, hope, and forgiveness. Her old-fashioned, somewhat dark story, narrated "Dear Reader"-style, begins "within the walls of a castle, with the birth of a mouse." Despereaux Tilling, the new baby mouse, is different from all other mice. Sadly, the romantic, unmouselike spirit that leads the unusually tiny, large-eared mouse to the foot of the human king and the beautiful Princess Pea ultimately causes him to be banished by his own father to the foul, rat-filled dungeon.

The first book of four tells Despereaux's sad story, where he falls deeply in love with Princess Pea and meets his cruel fate. The second book introduces another creature who differs from his peers--Chiaroscuro, a rat who instead of loving the darkness of his home in the dungeon, loves the light so much he ends up in the castle& in the queen's soup. The third book describes young Miggery Sow, a girl who has been "clouted" so many times that she has cauliflower ears. Still, all the slow-witted, hard-of-hearing Mig dreams of is wearing the crown of Princess Pea. The fourth book returns to the dungeon-bound Despereaux and connects the lives of mouse, rat, girl, and princess in a dramatic denouement.

Children whose hopes and dreams burn secretly within their hearts will relate to this cast of outsiders who desire what is said to be out of their reach and dare to break "never-to-be-broken rules of conduct." Timothy Basil Ering's pencil illustrations are stunning, reflecting DiCamillo's extensive light and darkness imagery as well as the sweet, fragile nature of the tiny mouse hero who lives happily ever after. (Ages 9 and older) --Karin Snelson

Pat the Bunny (Touch and Feel Book)

Dorothy Kunhardt

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 157 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Needs better construction 3 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

My son does love this book...especially the peek-a-boo page. However, I don't know why it's not constructed better. This book was about $10, and the pages are a thick paper instead of board book material. Since this book is geared towards the little ones, they really should make this into a board book. How much more expensive can that be? There are other touch and feel books that are board books that sell for $5 or $6.

disappointed 1 out of 5 stars.
0 of 2 people found this review helpful.

I was born and raised in another country, so I didn't grow up with this bunny, but I heard so much about it and was told it's a classic. I decided to purchase one for my son. I have to say it's a major disappointment because 1) it's poorly made that's not strong enough to sustain an infant's pulling, chewing, and abusing, 2) the sharp edge of the book always seems to hit my son's face (I'm afraid it will scratch his eyes one day...), 3) the fabric in the peek-a-boo page is very weak that it probably will come off in a few months, 4) the smell of the flowers is so storng (considering I try to buy everything organic and without perfume), 5) Daddy's scratchy face? it's a piece of sandpaper which is so rough that I would not let my son touch it in case it hurts his soft skin. Overall, I think it might have been a great concept in 1940, but time has changed and so should the construction of the book itself.

Editorial Review:

"Judy can pat the bunny. Now you pat the bunny." This Golden Book paperback edition is written and illustrated by Dorothy Kunhardt and is one of our classic toddler books. In this beloved classic, Paul and Judy play peekaboo, smell flowers, look in the mi

A Visitor for Bear

Bonny Becker

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 13 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

A wonderful story about loneliness and friendship-perfect for preschoolers! 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

"A Visitor for Bear" is a perfect story for preschoolers and anyone else for that matter. It tells the story of Bear, a rather reclusive character who prefers to live alone, undisturbed and even posts a sign on his front door "No Visitors Allowed". Things change when bear gets a visit -from a persistent, cute little mouse who just won't take NO for an answer and keeps popping up in the unlikeliest of places, much to the disgruntled Bear's annoyance. What happens eventually is the sweetest thing - friendship.

The book deftly handles the themes of loneliness and friendship, and the sentences are simply written - perfect for preschoolers. The illustrations are in watercolor and very beautiful with touches of humor, depicting the extremely annoyed Bear and the ever persistent Mouse to such an effect that one can't help but laugh out loud at their antics. Highly recommended and perfect for reading aloud.

Editorial Review:

Cheery persistence wears down a curmudgeonly bear in a wry comedy of manners that ends in a most unlikely friendship.

Bear is quite sure he doesn’t like visitors. He even has a sign. So when a mouse taps on his door one day, Bear tells him to leave. But when Bear goes to the cupboard to get a bowl, there is the mouse — small and gray and bright-eyed. In this slapstick tale that begs to be read aloud, all Bear wants is to eat his breakfast in peace, but the mouse — who keeps popping up in the most unexpected places — just won’t go away!

If You Give a Mouse a Cookie (If You Give...)

Laura Joffe Numeroff

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Features:

• Made with the Best Quality Material with your child in mind.
• Top Quality Children's Item.

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 129 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Who would ever suspect that a tiny little mouse could wear out an energetic young boy? Well, if you're going to go around giving an exuberantly bossy rodent a cookie, you'd best be prepared to do one or two more favors for it before your day is through. For example, he'll certainly need a glass of milk to wash down that cookie, won't he? And you can't expect him to drink the milk without a straw, can you? By the time our hero is finished granting all the mouse's very urgent requests--and cleaning up after him--it's no wonder his head is becoming a bit heavy. Laura Joffe Numeroff's tale of warped logic is a sure-fire winner in the giggle-generator category. But concerned parents can rest assured, there's even a little education thrown in for good measure: underneath the folly rest valuable lessons about cause and effect. Felicia Bond's hilarious pictures are full of subtle, fun details. Fans will be happy to know that this dynamic author-illustrator pair teamed up again for If You Give a Moose a Muffin and If You Give a Pig a Pancake. (Great read aloud, ages 4 to 8) --Emilie Coulter

The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane

Kate Dicamillo

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 226 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

A Beautiful tale, beautifully told 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

I just finished reading this book to my 10 year old. I think it is an amazing, once in a hundred years kind of book. It is touching, honest and thought provoking. As an adult, you'll have to read it more than once to unfurl the layers and interpret the underlying meanings. Older children will pick up on the allegorical nature of the story, while younger children may be frightened by the sometimes harsh circumstances of Edward's life. I believe this book is ideal for children from 4th grade up. It should also be required reading for middle and high school English students as an fine example of the use of personification, metaphor and parable. Beautiful. Gives me the chills just thinking about it. I will read it again.

Editorial Review:

Once, in a house on Egypt Street, there lived a china rabbit named Edward Tulane. The rabbit was very pleased with himself, and for good reason: he was owned by a girl named Abilene, who adored him completely. And then, one day, he was lost. . . .

Kate DiCamillo takes us on an extraordinary journey, from the depths of the ocean to the net of a fisherman, from the bedside of an ailing child to the bustling streets of Memphis. Along the way, we are shown a miracle -- that even a heart of the most breakable kind can learn to love, to lose, and to love again.

If You Give a Moose a Muffin (If You Give...)

Laura Joffe Numeroff

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 49 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

"If you give a moose a muffin, he'll want some jam to go with it." So begins the most logical silliness to be found anywhere--at least since Laura Joffe Numeroff and illustrator Felicia Bond's If You Give a Mouse a Cookie. Readers will follow a young boy and his voracious visitor through a series of antlered antics: jam reveries and puppet shows and big messes. It all makes perfect sense, really, once you stop to think about it. What moose wouldn't want to borrow a sweater when it's cold outside? And why shouldn't the loose button on the sweater remind him of his grandmother? Bond's cleverly detailed, witty illustrations perfectly complement Numeroff's deadpan style. Through just a few deft words and brush strokes, the reader gets a real sense of the unique personalities of the two characters. Children will relate easily to the full-circle reasoning of the story, while picking up the concept of cause and effect. The moral of the story? Keep plenty of muffin mix and blackberry jam in your cupboard. You never know who may drop by. (Great read aloud, ages 4 to 8) --Emilie Coulter

Redwall (Redwall, Book 1)

Brian Jacques

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 764 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

First Novel I ever read 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

I started this series in 4th grade. I'm 24 now and I have read it over again about 4 times. This book was amazing when I was a child, and it still is. Brian Jacques does a fantastic job with his characters and scenery. The poems/riddles are great. The best of the series: Mattimeo. (3rd book)

Editorial Review:

As the inhabitants of Redwall Abbey bask in the glorious Summer of the Late Rose, all is quiet and peaceful. But things are not as they seem. Cluny the Scourge, the evil one-eyed rat warlord, is hell-bent on destroying the tranquility as he prepares to fight a bloody battle for the ownership of Redwall. This dazzling story in the Redwall series is packed with all the wit, wisdom, humor, and blood-curdling adventure of the other books in the collection, but has the added bonus of taking the reader right back to the heart and soul of Redwall Abbey and the characters who live there.

Magical, mystical, and the stuff of legends, this stunning tale of good battling with--and ultimately triumphing over--evil takes the reader on a roller-coaster adventure that barely draws breath from the first page to the very last. Brian Jacques is a true master of his craft. --Susan Harrison

Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 54 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Fun and emotionally educational 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

A very fun and whimsical story that illustrates Lilly's emotional experience and how she deals with her emotions. I highly recommend. My 3 year old son loves it, and is a common birthday gift, especially for girls.

Editorial Review:

The irrepressible mouse heroine of Chester's Way and Julius, the Baby of the World returns for another true-to-life and very funny episode. Lilly loves everything about school, especially her teacher, Mr. Slinger--until he takes away her musical purse because she can't stop playing with it in class. Lilly decides to get revenge with a nasty drawing of "Big Fat Mean Mr. Stealing Teacher!" but when she finds the kind note he put in her purse, she's filled with remorse and has to find a way to make things right again. Children will sympathize with Lilly's impulsive mistake and laugh uproariously at the witty and expressive pictures of the very human mice. In a starred review, Publisher's Weekly called this book "sympathetic and wise." (Ages 4 to 8)

If You Take a Mouse to the Movies

Laura Numeroff

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 37 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Welcome to the hilariously hypothetical world of Laura Numeroff and Felicia Bond. Everything has an impact on everything else in this world, so if you take a mouse to the movies, don't be surprised if you find yourself being run ragged by the exuberant little fellow's increasingly grand appetites. When we first met him in Numeroff and Bond's tremendously popular If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, he had more energy than a 2-year-old on lollipops. Now, in the excitement of the Christmas season, he's unstoppable. Going from movie theater to Christmas tree lot to the neighbor's yard for snowmouse-building, he's a very demanding mouse indeed--in only the best way, of course.

The freshness of the If You Give a... series is diminished only slightly as the sequels pile up. The dazed and earnest look on the face of the mouse's long-suffering friend makes a marvelous foil for the mouse's high-spirited expressions. Adult readers will chuckle as they recognize the ephemeral passions of a child, while children will simply love the unfolding chain of events. A perfect Christmas read-aloud for the impetuous youngster on your list. (Ages 4 to 8) --Emilie Coulter

Christmas Catastrophe (Geronimo Stilton)

Geronimo Stilton

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Offers recipes, jokes, interesting hospital information, skiing rules and games 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

Geronimo cannot resist his nephew, Benjamin, when he pleads to be taken skiing. The moment Geronimo offers to treat, a pack of friends and relatives decides to go skiing with them. Before you can say "Swiss Cheese," Geronimo is paying huge bills for a nice lodge on Frozen Fur Peak, transportation and meals. Life goes downhill from there, starting with the news that Geronimo must bunk with his cousin, Trap.

At least he gets to go skiing. Geronimo loves this activity --- until the slope show-off knocks into him. The two roll downhill, gathering snow as they travel, before they smash into a boulder. Geronimo ends up in the hospital, where he finds out he has broken every single bone in his body and must have surgery. He is so sad. Geronimo will be in the hospital for a very long time. The accident is sure to ruin his holidays. But the story of how his spirits rise makes for an uplifting read.

In addition to a fun plot, CHRISTMAS CATASTROPHE offers recipes, jokes, interesting hospital information, skiing rules and games.

Editorial Review:

Geronimo Stilton, adventuremouse? Not me! But surely a little skiing couldn't hurt a rodent, right? Wrong. Moldy mozzarella! When my ski trip landed me in the hospital, I was sure it was going to be the worst Christmas ever! But my family and friends had something else in mind. . . .