Upstairs Mouse, Downstairs Mole

“Delightful. . . . A real winner.”—School Library Journal “The friendly, cooperative tone of the text is reminiscent of the Frog and Toad series.”—Kirkus Reviews “Yee’s comfy beginning reader (dedicated to ‘Friends of Frog and Toad’) . . . packs in plenty of sweetness and civility.”—Publishers Weekly Mouse and Mole are neighbors. Mouse lives inside an oak tree, and Mole lives in a hole underneath. They are neighbors, but they are also friends. Sometimes friends make mistakes—but they always try to help each other out. That is what Mouse and Mole do.From School Library JournalKindergarten-Grade 3–Aptly dedicated to Friends of Frog and Toad, this delightful beginning reader introduces two endearing neighbors. In the first chapter, Mouse inadvertently sends all her dirt cascading onto Mole's pristine floor when she sweeps. When he confronts her, they learn that with a bit of ingenuity and cooperation, they can clean both floors and still have time to plant a garden. In The Invitations, the new friends attempt to share a meal, but their innate differences–Mole likes his house damp and dark and eats worms, Mouse likes the warm sun and prefers cheese–make it impossible. Next, the animals find clever ways to reconcile their dissimilarities: Mole presents Mouse with some candles to use when she visits, and she gives him a pair of sunglasses. In the final entry, Mole surprises Mouse with a rowboat. Although it's missing an oar, they manage to have fun. The next day, Mouse has a surprise of her own–a new paddle to make A pair…like you and me! The expressive bamboo-pen and watercolor with colored-pencil illustrations capture the humor of the situations as well as the emotions of the characters. With its controlled vocabulary, repetition, and humor, this tale of friendship also introduces opposites, homophones, and letter writing. A real winner.–Barbara Auerbach, New York City Public Schools Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. From BooklistGr. 1-3. Mouse and Mole are neighbors, but it seems their differences outweigh the pluses of friendship. Mouse sweeps her apartment in a tree, and the dirt falls into Mole's house, below. When Mole invites Mouse over, he serves her worms, which Mouse doesn't like. When Mouse invites Mole over, she serves him cheese, which Mole doesn't find appetizing. But step-by-step, the duo works through misunderstandings and disagreements, leading to the strong message that thinking about one another is the way to bolster a relationship. Yee's watercolor-and-ink illustrations are diminutive, but their charm is pervasive. This is not part of an established easy reader series, but it certainly works as one in terms of both subject and design. Kids will develop reading skills and come away with a lesson in friendship. Ilene Cooper Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved