Squeak was a small mouse who lived with his family in a small hole behind a cupboard but he was a scared mouse, a stay-at-home mouse.
One night his sister, Nibbles, tempts him to take a walk to the kitchen where she says there is yummy chocolate cake, 'as big as a wheel'.
Squeak loves cake but he is worried in case he gets lost or, even worse, he meets the big ginger cat who lives in the house.
Nibbles has a great idea of how to ensure he does not get lost. She fetches a big ball of string and ties one end round Squeak so that if he does get lost he can retrace his steps by following the string.
Then the adventures begin and as they make their way to the kitchen for the cake, Squeak imagines all sorts of dangers and keeps screaming, 'It's The Cat, It's The Cat'. But each time it is some object that she imagines to be the cat.
After wandering round and round and trailing the string everywhere, they finally arrive at the kitchen and begin eating the cake. Nibbles is really enjoying herself and so is Squeak, to a degree. His worry is that as a scared mouse he is also a want-to-go-home mouse.
After a few more imaginary frights, the real thing arrives - the cat! 'EEEK,' screams Squeak. But the ginger cat gets entangled in the trailing string and Nibbles and Squeaky enjoy themselves eating the cake and playing on the prostrate, and tied up, cat!
Squeaky is so bold that the next time he meets the cat he is determined to shout, 'BOO!' at him!
The illustrations are charming and the story is an amusing one that demonstrates bravery and winning against the odds. I feel sure it will appeal to children, especially if read aloud.