Library Mouse: A Friend's Tale (2000) - Plot & Excerpts
Parents need to know that this is the second Library Mouse book. The first one won the National Parenting Publication Gold Award in 2007 and the International Reading Association Teacher's Choice award in 2008. Positive messagesFriendship and teamwork make things work out for the boy, the librarian, and the mouse.Violence & scarinessNot applicableLanguageNot applicableThis is from commonsensemedia.orgBooklist (May 15, 2009 (Vol. 105, No. 18))Grades K-3. Kirk continues his love letter to libraries with this follow-up to Library Mouse (2007). After he’s left without a partner on the latest project for his library’s Writers and Illustrators club, a young boy named Tom discovers the mouse Sam’s hiding place behind the children’s reference desk. Despite never having been seen (in fact, no one even knows he’s a mouse!), Sam is still an accomplished and admired author-illustrator at the library. Tom leaves tokens of friendship at Sam’s hole—a piece of cheese, a peanut-butter cracker—without any results. Finally he decides to leave something Sam can’t ignore . . . a story! Together they write, and Sam illustrates, a book called The Shy One. Kirk’s lifelike art remains exceptional—the world seen from Sam’s perspective is impeccably detailed. The covers of classic children’s books such as Goodnight Moon and Frindle appear on desks and in the hands of patrons; young readers will be thrilled to recognize some titles and encouraged to read the ones they don’t yet know. This charming sequel will be another hit at library story hour.Horn Book (Fall 2009)In this message-y book, rodent author Sam (Library Mouse) continues his writing incognito. After a bashful library patron tracks Sam to his mouse hole, the two collaborate on a story, "The Shy One." Tension builds (mildly) as their secret may be revealed. Human characters look stiff in the close-up illustrations, which also reference famous children's books.Kirkus Reviews (January 15, 2009)Mouse becomes muse. Late at night when the library is closed, Sam the mouse, an enthusiastic reader and writer, sneaks out of his comfy hole to take advantage of the library's resources, leaving the books he writes behind. One morning, Sam works all night and falls asleep at a table, waking up just in time to avoid an elementary-school writing club. In his haste to escape, however, he leaves behind his notebook. Young Tom discovers it and takes it to the librarian, who suggests he leave it for Sam to find later. Tom has another idea, deciding to find Sam. He leaves cheese and a story he's written called "The Shy One" by Sam's mousehole. In no time flat, the duo is collaborating, with Sam doing the illustrations. And Tom's text gives Sam an idea for another book. Kirk's substantial text suits early grades. While his illustrations hold little artistic nuance, they do incorporate well-known titles by other author-illustrator duos, and children will enjoy spotting such favorites as Goodnight Moon and Miss Nelson Is Back. In all, a solid nudge to budding writers. (Picture book. 6-9)School Library Journal (April 1, 2009)K-Gr 2-Library Mouse (Abrams, 2007) introduced shy, library-dwelling Sam, who writes and illustrates books that he leaves for Mrs. Forrester and the children to read. This pleasant sequel features a bashful boy named Tom, who is a member of the Writers and Illustrators Club. He discovers that the mysterious author is a mouse and leaves him treats in an effort to make friends. Sam is able to bypass the cheese and crackers, but when he finds the story Tom wrote, he cannot resist. When the club meets again, Mrs. Forrester finds a new book written by Tom and illustrated by Sam, featuring two friends drawn as mice. When asked to identify his collaborator, Tom keeps his new friend's secret. Kirk's anthropomorphic mouse lives in a realistic-looking library, and his drawings of the librarian and children are incredibly lifelike. Tom's facial expressions and body language aptly convey his shyness and concern about Sam. The illustrations alternate between full-bleed drawings and spotlight cameos, and the perspective changes to show the story from of the points of view of the two main characters. This charming selection deserves a place in most collections.-Martha Simpson, Stratford Library Association, CT Copyright 2009 Reed Business Information. Library Mouse: A Friend's Tale can be a great addition to your classroom library. The illustration of the book is fairly realistic and is fascinating to show to an audience. This book includes main ideas about friendship and improving oneself in the areas of writing and sharing. If a student is often shy or not really open, this book may help the student by relating to their circumstance and by helping them trusting in a friend to lean on.
What do You think about Library Mouse: A Friend's Tale (2000)?
Adorable little book. I haven't read the first book, but I'll have to check it out now.
—TTinan
"writing, author, illustrator, mice too long for preschool age"
—Krauth4
