Product Description

A small creature offers his big voice for aspiring authors everywhere

Every child can be a writer—and Library Mouse shows them how!

Beloved children’s books author and illustrator Daniel Kirk wonderfully brings to life the story of Sam, a library mouse. Sam’s home was in a little hole in the wall in the children’s reference books section, and he thought that life was very good indeed. For Sam loved to read. He read picture books and chapter books, biographies and poetry, and ghost stories and mysteries. Sam read so much that finally one day he decided to write books himself!

Sam shared his books with other library visitors by placing them on a bookshelf at night. Until there came the time that people wanted to meet this talented author. Whatever was Sam to do?

The joy of reading, writing, and sharing is brought to life in this warmhearted tale.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #9158 in Books
• Published on: 2007-09-01
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 32 pages

From Booklist
*Starred Review* Put a mouse in a library and you have a sure seller; make the mouse a writer and you have a sure-fire hit. Sam lives in a hole in the wall behind the children's reference books. During the day he sleeps, but at night he reads all kinds of books. One night Sam decides to write and illustrate his own. He writes about himself, and he draws his likeness, posing in a little mirror and sketching what he saw. He slips Squeak! A Mouse's Life into the biography section. A girl finds it and shows it to the librarian, who is intrigued. Then Sam writes more: The Lonely Cheese and The Mystery of Mouse Mansion. Increasingly curious, the librarian posts a note on the bulletin board, inviting Sam to Meet the Author Day. What is Sam to do? His delightfully unexpected solution will inspire kids to write their own stories. In a rainbow of colors, the art, which features a slightly flattened perspective, ranges from small oval pictures of Sam busily sharpening pencils with his teeth to full-page views of the busy library. One great picture shows Sam's face filling the page, dark eyes alight and white whiskers bristling. It's a show-stopper. This is ready-made to introduce a classroom writing activity, though some of the pictures are too small to be appreciated in a large-group readaloud. Even so, this is fun, fun, fun. Cummins, Julie

About the Author
Daniel Kirk has illustrated a number of popular books for children, among them Chugga-Chugga Choo-Choo!, which School Library Journal called “an instant hit with young children.” He has also both written and illustrated books, among them Snow Dude, which Booklist said “[crackles] with excitement and mischief . . . fun to read aloud,” and Bus Stop, Bus Go!, which School Library Journal called “a lively trip that’s loaded with fun.” Daniel lives in Glen Ridge, New Jersey, with his wife and three children. He was inspired to write this book after spending countless blissful days with his family perusing the stacks at his local library. For more information about Daniel, visit www.danielkirk.com.

Customer Reviews

Good Book to Inspire Children to Write Their Own Stories
I work in a public library so am always interested to read fiction geared at any level that is set is one. Library Mouse is one of the better (and there are heaps out there) picture books set in a library. The main difference to the message in this one to most of the others is that it is actually geared towards encouraging the reader to write books rather than the norm library set picture book which focuses on getting kids to read books or explore the library.

Library Mouse is quite well written and the illustrations are also very well done although they are a bit strange at times and you do wonder what was going on in the illustrator's (who was also Daniel Kirk the author) mind at the time. For example a kid on page two reading a book with his eyes closed who probably was a ghost or something anyway, or if not the librarian was as she has obviously walked right through him. In fact as the book nears the end quite a few adults and kids walk/crawl around with their eyes closed, some carry stuff or even write books only seeing the back of their eye lids. I guess Daniel Kirk wanted to see what he could get away with, either that or he got sick of and couldn't be bothered drawing any more eyes. The illustrations are good though and lots of fun plus on most pages with humans you also have the opportunity to play a Where's Wally?/Where's Bin Laden? type reading game finding the tiny Sam the mouse hidden on the bookshelves or somewhere else.

A very good book Library Mouse is basically the tale of a mouse named Sam who lives behind the children's reference books in a library. Sam really enjoyed reading the books once everyone had gone home and one day decides to write books of his own and place them on the shelves in the library. Soon everyone wants to know who the author of these mysterious books is and a note goes up on the bulletin board asking for him to be a special guest at a meet the author day. Since Sam is a mouse who has lived anonymously in the library for years, can he divulge who the author is? You'll have to read and find out.

Two other great books about or set in a library are Goldie Socks and the Three Libearians by Jackie Hopkins and Library Lion by Michelle Knudsen.

A true favorite!
I purchased this book for my two and a half year old son about a month ago. We read this together every weekend. It is so funny because he memorizes the pages and we take turns reading to each other. We shopped at a local flea market last week, one vendor had a stuffed toy mouse and my son looked at me and said, "Is that the Library Mouse?" It was so funny. This is an excellent book that encourages kids to write books of their own. I wish I could show you the ones my son has put together.

Awesome Book!
My little boy is four and he loves this book. He likes the story and the pictures. The Library Mouse encourages the children in the library to write their own little books. My little boy wanted to do it, too! He wrote his first little book the next day!