This House Needs A Mouse is a children’s book written by C. Jeffrey Nunnally and illustrated by Tamara Z. Brink. I was provided with a free copy to review. All opinions are my own. There are affiliate links in this post.
I’m trying to raise a bookworm, and in this age of smartphones and tablets it’s hard to compete for a toddler’s attention. I’m lucky though, my four-year-old loves to cuddle up with me and listen to stories, so when I was asked to review a children’s book I requested a hard copy instead of a digital one. I want Offspring to experience books the way I did as a child, and still do, the sound and feel of pages turning, the weight of the book in her hands. We read several books each day and often go back to the same favorites over and over again.
As soon as our copy of This House Needs A Mouse by C. Jeffrey Nunnally arrived, we sat down and read it. Offspring loves rhyming words, so the repetition and rhyming throughout the story were very appealing to her. There are a few key components to story books that make them more compelling to a child; rhythm, repetition, a familiar setting, character development, an obstacle to overcome, and appealing artwork, and this book nails them.
We’ve read it at least a half a dozen times now and she claims that it is her new favorite. The illustrations are delightful, and make it easy for Offspring to pretend read the story on her own.
Below is a photo of Offspring sharing the book with her Grandpa. She’s very lucky to have grandparents who love to read.
The story is very entertaining. It’s about a family that buys a mouse at the pet shop to keep their floors cleared of “cwacker” crumbs. The mouse loves his job, and the family is happy with the relationship, but things go awry when the family needs to relocate to a bigger house. They forget to mention to the new family moving in that there is a terrific crumb cleaning mouse in residence. The new family tries everything to get rid of the mouse.
This House Needs A Mouse is available now on the book’s website, Amazon, and Big Tent Books. It’s not too late to get a copy in time for Christmas.
Disclaimer. I received a copy of This House Needs A Mouse to assist in my review. No other compensation was received.
We haven’t read this one yet, and it sounds right up my little bookworms alley. Of course he will probably want me to get him a pet mouse after reading it. Thanks for the recommendation!
"There are a few key components to story books that make them more compelling to a child; rhythm, repetition, a familiar setting, character development, an obstacle to overcome, and appealing artwork, and this book nails them." Thank you for picking up on these literary techniques! Tell Ebi, "Hi," and I hope he has a great Holiday Season! Thank you so much for the thoughtful review! C. Jeffrey Nunnally