The Tale of Two Mice

by Ruth Brown

A big old house can be a frightening place when you're only a small mouse. And whilst big brother Bo fearlessly searches the rooms for their supper, little brother Billy can't help feeling something is lying in wait. But is Billy really being silly? Or is Bo in for a big surprise?

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Fiction, Cats, Animals

32 pages, Hardcover

First published October 6, 2008

About the author

Born in 1941, Ruth Brown is the creator of some of Britain's best loved children's books. She has created a great many picture books for Andersen Press and is highly respected as an author and illustrator.
She attended Bournemouth College of Art, 1957–59; Birmingham College of Art, degree (with first-class honors), 1961; Royal College of Art, M.A., 1964.
She is married to artist Ken Brown and they have two grown-up sons and one grandchild.

Reviews

[midnightfaerie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really starting to love Ruth Brown, me and my kids both. Besides the wonderfully descriptive illustrations, this one was a lift the flap book that you almost couldn't tell was a lift the flap book because the pictures were done so artfully. There was also a bit of pop-up book at the end with one of the illustrations and my 5 yr old and twin 3 yr olds loved it. I love the rich darkness of her stories and the old gothic style houses and castles she has in them. Maybe just enough words to be a level 1 reader. Overall a fun read and great addition to any children's collection.

[Mr. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really cute with flaps and pop ups

[Cosette · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was cleverly done

[Amy Watson · Rating 3 out of 5]

The illustrations in this book and scary and so detailed I loved them! This book has pop ups and flaps to open and reveal the cat hiding in the picture. Almost has a comical element to it as the mice just keep missing him and are unaware.

[Isobel · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely pop up tale about friendship . Children will be able to relate to this imagery in the story, as the various objects look like faces- children may experience this quite often when imagining objects look like something when they really know the object is just itself.

[Candi Hardin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is short. Not a lot to write about. Two brothers live in a huge house. They have to go searching for food. One sees a cat and the other one doesn't.

[Deb · Rating 3 out of 5]

My twenty-three-year-old daughter Alena who has Down Syndrome and fairly severe autism loves this book. I haven't seen her smile so big while I've read to her. Maybe it's because she loves lifting the flaps, so there is a way for her to participate too since she doesn't read. I guess I need to check out more books like this for her. The story is cute and fits our criteria of simplicity.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

My two-year-old likes this book quite a bit. Two mouse brothers live in a grand old mansion, gorgeously painted and embellished with many "lift the flap" details. They head out for provisions and the younger brother tries--unsuccessfully--to warn his big brother that they are being stalked by a cat. I have to do quite a bit of explaining to my little boy. It would be a better story for a slightly older child. The parent appeal is missing somewhat. How is it possible that the two mice aren't aware of the resident cat? How can the cat stalk the mice page after page and not get her dinner in the end? As with many, many author-illustrated books, the illustrations steal the show.

[Lisa Houlihan]

Fun because it had flaps to lift, so interactive though not a pop-up, and the drawings and flaps were good, but the story was eh. Why doesn't Billy say he's afraid of a cat rather than a spooky shadow? Is the house abandoned, or is it illustrated as furnished but empty of people just because that makes a prettier picture, and if the former why does it have such spreads of food?

Maybe the illustrations aren't that good anyway: the kids thought the cat was a dog, and this was a Persian (or other flat-faced variety of) cat.

[Dolly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an entertaining story about two mice who are out for some nightly scavenging and the cat who stalks them. The lift the flap and pop-up features of this book enable children to interact with the story and the cat is such a rascally fellow.

The book is fun to read aloud and the illustrations are terrific. We enjoyed reading this book together. We borrowed a copy of this book from our local library and some of the flaps are starting to get quite beat up, so I would caution parents to supervise younger children with this book.

[Foxytocin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a simple "lift-the-flap" book and it's just a bit scarey. I shelved this as exceptional mostly because I liked the illustrations quite a bit and it was great fun to read with my 5 and 7-year-old daughters. Absolutely loved the illustrator's rendering of the cat. And it's questionable how well the mice fare after the book ends.
For that reason, I wouldn't recommend it for very sensitive, very young children who don't take well to a bit of drama. It'd be a good Halloween read.

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I came across this book while looking for other books by Ruth Brown at a book store. It immediately made me think of Brown's A Dark Dark Tale, which remains one of my favorite books of all time. The story set-up is similar and once again, involves mice living within a gothic mansion. Children will love this one!

[Dianna · Rating 4 out of 5]

My three-year-old son loved this book about two mice searching for food. One keeps seeing the cat lurking in shadows (and behind the lift-up flaps in the book), and the other doesn't believe him. There are lots of flaps to lift, and one spread with a big, scary-looking cat that pops up. The pictures are very nice.

[Jonathon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. This is one of the better new picturebooks that I've read in awhile. Within the book there are flaps you can pull back to reveal things. There is a page of a pop-up cat. I love the illustrations, they are beautiful and spooky. This book puts me in mind of a modern day "The Boy Who Cried Wolf". It is not really the same, but for some reason, that is what it put me in mind of

[Thomasin Propson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A "pop-up" book with lovely pictures (and one scary one!). My girls LOVE it and we have read it perhaps 10 times so far (in one day).

Only complaint: though the illustrations are wonderful and the storyline itself is well-suited to children's interests, the language (vocab, flow, inter-sibling conversation) was flat and uninteresting.

[Amy Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two mice look for food. Bo is fearless but Billy sees something scary everywhere. Is Billy just seeing things or does he really have something to be afraid of? Lift the flaps for kids show a cat hiding throughout their adventure.

[Molly · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautifully illustrated fun story by ruth brown. The lift the flaps are quite clever and I love the mice brother. The picuture are big though they are dark and may make it hard to share if you get too many in a room. Ages 3+

[MissInformation · Rating 2 out of 5]

One mouse keeps seeing danger and the other ignores him- has foldouts on most pages, and as the book progresses, the foldouts show there is a cat following them.

Wish it was more tightly done and had larger pictures, but fun for 1 to 1 reading.

[Marilyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a lift-the-flap book of 2 mice brothers in search of food. The one always sees the cat trailing them. The other never does until the end. GREAT illustrations! Fun for kids to see what one of the characters does not.

[Alisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

The storyline is a little harder to get into for adults reading the book, but the pictures and especially the lift the flaps really help my little boys get into this picture. Something about flap books is enjoyable for me as well :)

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clever use of flaps and a pop-up.

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unlikely lift-the-flap book is a cute story of 2 mice on a mission to restock their empty shelves. But beware someone is watching their every move!

[Kelli · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lift-the flap book about two mice - one who sees the cat everywhere, and the other who is too busy to notice. Lets the kids be in the know and sweat out what will happen. Fun.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Two mice go on a food run. The small mouse is paranoid, seeing a cat everywhere he looks. Or, is the cat really there? Lift the flap pages reveal the cat stalking the mice.

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lift the Flap book. Young mouse really sees a cat everywhere, but his older brother thinks that he is imagining it - until the end

[Carolyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

AR 1.7 -- 0.5 pts

Book includes pop-up page and lift-flaps on pages.

[Edna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful and detailed illustrative add to the fun of this lift-the-flap book about two brother mice who venture outside the walls and fight their fears in search of food.

[Vandy]

great read aloud...great ill....

[Lea · Rating 4 out of 5]

This pop up book has nice moody illustrations to flesh out the story of two scavenging mice being quietly followed by a predatory cat.

[Ashley]

2008 - Picture Book

In this great pop-up book, we get to go with Billy and Bo, two mice, as they search a dark mansion for food. Little do they know that they are being followed!