Product Description

When Louie and Dan leave home, each wants to handle things his own way. Can these two little mice figure out how to get along-and survive the dangers of the forest? First published in 1988, a new generation of readers will fall in love with this delightfully lighthearted mouse adventure, featuring Mary Jane Begin's irresistible illustrations.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2335216 in Books
• Published on: 2002-07-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 32 pages

From Publishers Weekly
Two mouse brothers, Louie and Dan, leave their over-crowded house in search of a home of their own. Their first challenge comes at nightfall, when they begin to see shadows swooping towards them. Dan runs to a maple tree and falls through a hidden door that leads to an abandoned house they soon claim as their own. One night, Dan finds himself outside the house, only a paw's reach from a huge black cat. But brave Louie outwits the menacing feline by convincing him that Dan is really a porcupinea terrible meal that would certainly upset his digestion. The plot is uncomplicated and slight, but Begin's pictures make up for the shortcomings. The snug miniature world of the mice is created as much by an illusionist as by a skillful artist; the disparity in size between cat and mouse when they encounter each other in the dark generates real dramatic surprise. And that scene provides a shadowy contrast to the blissfully cheerful interior shots. Ages 4-7.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
PreSchool-Grade 2 Engaging mice star in this short fantasy about an ``odd couple''two brothers who have difficulties setting up housekeeping, but finally learn to accommodate each other. The mice act out some scenes a bit reminiscent of situations in Lobel's ``Frog and Toad'' stories (Harper); for example, one mouse pesters the other into telling him a story so that he can get to sleep, and later both mice can't stop eating their cookies. Although the story meanders a bit, the watercolor illustrations are so eye-catching that young listeners will focus on the art rather than the text. Particularly effective is the artist's ability to depict the effects of light and darkness on scenes, and to create the child-like expressions on the faces of the mice. One double-page spread is especially dramatic: the left page is black with one line of text in white, while the right page contains an illustration, trimmed in black, of a huge cat's face next to a tiny mouse brother in his night cap and shirt. The artwork makes this a good choice for library storytime or for lap-reading. Yvonne A. Frey, Peoria Public Library, Ill.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author
Bonnie Pryor has written several novels for young readers as well as the popular picture books Grandpa Bear, Amanda and April, and The House on Maple Street. She lives in Gambier, Ohio.

Mary Jane Begin's award-winning portfolio includes such picture books as Little Mouse's Painting and A Mouse Told His Mother. She lives in Providence, Rhode Island.

Customer Reviews

Superb Art & Fun Story
The first comment our 7 year old has was, "It's so pretty...." -- She loved the pictures. And all three of our children (5, 7 & 9) thoroughly enjoyed the story, laughing multiple times during the reading.

BTW, the artwork *is* stunning.

The Porcupine Mouse by Will Herman
This book is a story about 2 mice. They are sent away by Mama Mouse to find a new house. The reason they had to find a new house for themselves is because they were the oldest 2 mice in the house and it was so crowded to begin with. Dan and Louie are scared of owls and cats, because they eat mice. They venture out and when they see a dark shadow swoop down from the trees the run to hide when they accidently bump into a new house. They walk in and notice its perfect so they stay there.
Dan and Louie end up having an arguement on how to decorate the house and they don't speak to each other until Louie runs out to get a bag of pine-cones and a cat is about to eat him. Dan tells the cat that Louie is really a porcupine and his spines were in the bag. The cat puts his hand in the bag and runs away and then he never comes back and they live happily ever after. I recommend this book because the illustrations are phenominal and it has a very good moral.