Disclosure: I received a copy of This House Needs a Mouse for review. All opinions are my own.

I’m a sucker for a good children’s book. So when I heard the synopsis of This House Needs a Mouse by C. Jeffrey Nunnally, I didn’t expect it to be quite like it turned out. I expected a story about a mouse, and, yes, I got that for sure. What I didn’t realize was that the book was about family, and that’s a topic I can definitely get behind.

There are three families in the book, which touches on misunderstandings and helping others, and plays with rhyme in fun ways. As I flipped through the book before reading it to Zach, I came across one page in particular, focusing on how this mouse was a crumb-cleaner, a not-so-ordinary mouse that kept the house tidy for his families.

As I flipped through, I saw the mouse sorting crumbs into piles. You see, I’m not a mouse person, but this book made me look at mice differently. Perhaps some aren’t so ordinary, after all! And this page really gave me an idea for an activity that Zach could do while I read him the story.

Zach sometimes struggles to sit still through a longer children’s book (like this one, which is sometimes more suitable for a slightly older set of children– think Kindergarten age, in my opinion– but works for younger kids who have a longer attention span). That means that an activity to entertain him is a really good way to get those longer books in, without losing him.

I started with a bag of mixed dry beans that came in a variety of shapes, colors, and sizes.

As we read through the book about the ordinary (albeit crumb-filled) house, the ordinary family, and the not-so-ordinary house, Zach sorted. He sorted red beans from black beans, kidney beans from white beans, just like the mouse sorted and cleaned the crumbs in the house.

 

I think there are a few great units that this book would fit well in, if you’re a homeschooling family. If you’re doing a unit study on other mouse-loving books (like If You Give a Mouse a Cookie), this can be a really fun book basket addition. I also think it’s a great title to tie into units on family, home, and cleanliness.

To give you an idea of the book in synopsis form (without trying to spoil anything!) a family has a crumb problem. The toddler (which uses baby talk– the only part of this book I wasn’t a fan of!) is a mess, and the mom is FED UP! (Aren’t we all?) The family decides that they need to get a mouse– a crumb cleaning mouse. But when the family grows too large for the house, the mouse has to make a decision– to go with the family in the new house, or stay behind with a new family who doesn’t immediately recognize his crumb-cleaning talent (and yes, there is a mention of cats and poisons attempting to dispose of the mouse, so be aware if you have some kids who are sensitive to those topics in relation to poor little mice!)

Overall, the story does have a happy ending, in spite of the threat of cats and poisons, and it’s a sweet tale that you’ll enjoy reading again and again. 

This House Needs a Mouse is available now from the Author’s Website, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Big Tent Books. 

 

 

Want more book fun? Check out my list of great books for Valentine’s Day, or read my Activity ideas for another Mouse-Themed book!