Sam is the Library Mouse in question, making his home ‘in a little hole in the wall behind the children’s reference books.’ His life was “very good indeed” because every night, when the library closed down, Sam had run of the place. Every night Sam cracked open book after book and read to his little heart’s desire. After reading so many books for himself, Sam decides that it is high time for him to write a book of his own! Being a good little writer, he wrote about something he knew – about being a mouse, of course! We find him folding bits of paper and creating tons of little books which he tucks in the library shelves. You may correctly assume that the children soon discover these little nuggets that Sam has placed on the library shelves. Sam’s book is a hit! The question of the librarians becomes, “WHO is SAM?” Finally a note is left for Sam, letting him know that the children and the librarians are enjoying his books very much and they wonder if he would be the guest of honor at a “Meet the Author Day.” Sam thinks it over and on the big day, the librarians and children walk in the room to discover a Kleenex box with a sign on it, pointing to the inside of the box, saying “Meet the Author.” When the children looked into the box they discovered a mirror reflecting their own smiles and images back at them. Sam prepares a stack of blank books and pencils, of course, and the children quickly catch on that THEY can be authors too, even though they have never written a book before. Soon the children’s section of the library is filled with books written by the children themselves. Sam, meanwhile, continues his career content in his little mouse hole.
Library Mouse is a very cute and inspiring story and if you like the sound of it, you’ll be delighted to know that there is a sequel!
In Library Mouse: A Friend’s Tale we again find Sam in the midst of writing stories about mice. However, this time he gets caught by a young boy named Tom who is really curious to know who this “Sam” is. A little exploration (and some accidental foot prints left from stepping in an ink pad!) lead the boy to Sam’s little hole. Suddenly Tom realizes why all the stories Sam writes are about mice! Tom attempts to befriend Sam but Sam seems to be a little distrusting. He finally discovers a cute and clever way to assure Sam of his friendship and his desire to keep Sam and his identity safe from others. The book ends on a happy note with a little collaboration on the part of Tom and Sam and another book in the series does seem quite likely. Keep your eyes and ears open for it on bookshelves. And don’t be afraid of any little mice holes you might find. You never know what talent might lurk within!
Carrie comes by her book obsession honestly, having descended from a long line of bibliophiles. She blogs about books regularly at Reading to Know.
Jennifer (5 Minutes for Books) says
This book is everywhere for me these days! Kyle told me that the librarian read it the first day they had library in Kindergarten.
And then I think Dawn just wrote about it.
So we’ll definitely be checking this one out.
Lauren says
I was just telling someone that the only mice I like are Minnie and Mickey (she had a mouse problem). I think, however, that I could add Sam to my list. These books look great!
Dawn says
I haven’t read the original, but the second book is my daughter’s current fave, since we borrowed it from the library a couple weeks ago. Aren’t the illustrations AMAZING in their background details??? I’m seriously in awe of them, and the stories are cute to boot. 🙂
Sarah M. says
LOL I’ve been planning to post a review on this very book. I discovered it at B&N last week and then checked it out of the library. I thought it was very cute and very fun. L seemed to enjoy it too, especially the different colored pencils that Sam uses to write his stories. I was going to tell you about the book – glad you found it on your own. 🙂