Inside Mouse, Outside Mouse: A Classic Tale for Young Nature Lovers About Two Mice

by Lindsay Barrett George

Once there was
an inside mouse and
an outside mouse.
One day they both
went on a trip. They
traveled up, down,
across, around,
through, between,
behind, over, and under,
until they finally met
in the middle.
Hello!
Are they old friends?
Or new friends?
Did they just meet
today?
Or do they visit
every day?
And what do you think
might happen next
to the inside mouse
and the outside mouse?

Genres: Picture Books, Animals, Childrens, Storytime, 1st Grade

40 pages, Hardcover

First published March 30, 2004

Reviews

[Elizabeth]

Two stories in one, this charming book traces the simultaneous journeys of inside mouse and outside mouse and how they converge. Gorgeous lifelike drawings accompany the text. Perfect for a read aloud.

[Ileana Lindner]

Author: Lindsay B. George
Book: Inside Mouse, Outside Mouse
Grade: 3rd and 4th grade

This science literature book is a great book to bring up the topic of habitats. It is a way for students to think about how similar animals have different types of habitats. Sometimes the difference of habitat is by choice and sometimes it is by force. However, what is important to focus on is the difference of the animals because of their habitats. This would also be a good book to talk about adaptation.

[Darcy]

Each two-page spread shows Inside Mouse on one side and Outside Mouse on the other, as they explore their respective worlds and ultimately end up on either side of a window looking at each other. Fun to watch them make comparable maneuvers using inside and outside objects, and taught me lots of words like behind, through, around, under, etc. Would listen to again. -M

[Nina]

The detailed bold illustrations are really fantastic. This is a great example for how different animals live and what their environments are like. Great when introducing children to concepts of pets and domestication or possible urban vs rural environments. I love love love the illustrations. There's just so much detail richness. It's kinda mesmerizing and overwhelming.

[Deb]

The use of animals is fantastic to me everytime. It draws children in. This book presents adventure through the path of two mice. It gives opportunity to compare and contrast the inside events from the outside events. Dynamic illustrations.

[Lea]

With relatively simple text, this book illustrates the parallel adventures of two mice (one in the house and one outside) who end up peering at each other through a window. This really entertained my mouse-loving five year old and the illustrations are very well done.

[Cosette]

My eldest read this aloud to my youngest and they both claimed it was lame. I read it and found it adorable and useful in a classroom setting or even with your own kid (maybe younger?) except then I started looking at the pictures of the mice... they are so expertly portrayed... mice...

[eveltrain]

Beautiful illustrations enhance the story of what makes two mice the same and different. Lots of movement possibilities for reading aloud.

[LaRaie Zimm]

Gorgeous illustrations, with many intriguing and fascinating objects to pique the interest of younger readers. The older children will "get" the plot, but younger ones will be drawn in by the beautifully drawn images of everyday inside/outdoor objects. The story is that of two mice, one who lives inside and the other who lives outside. The story follows each mouse going about their daily lives until they meet one day at the window of a house--one on the outside, one on the inside. Cute, sweet, thought-provoking, and beautifully rendered.

Ages 3+ (though I read it to my 2 year old who was very interested in the objects pictured).

[Sarah A]

This is an excellent book. I was a little concerned initially about the flow of the story being difficult as the left page is about the inside mouse and the right about the outside mouse. However what it really does is help the early reader. My four year old loved this book. I read it once and then she read it back to me. Having similar phrases on each page gave her the chance to recognize and remember words from one page to another.
Great story although yes it does ask for a sequel!! Lovely clear illustrations. Fun and clear story.

[Amber]

This book was utterly charming. "We're not so different after all," it seems to say. Although I was sad that the lovely friendship depicted between the two mice in the exterior and interior cover art must develop after the action of the story, as they only meet on the book's final page. The public demands a sequel!

[The Brothers]

A cute story showing the different obstacles an inside mouse and an outside mouse must overcome. It is written so on one page we have the inside mouse going over or through an obstacle and on the facing page we have the outside mouse going over or through a similar obstacle.

Interesting illustrations with lots of fun stuff to look at.

[Eva Best]

This is a cute story about two mice who live inside and outside. This would be a great book to use for young kids to learn how to compare. However, for them just to read I felt like the way it was written could be confusing for young or struggling readers to understand because you have to understand that every other page is talking about a different mouse.

[Brandin]

Genre: Picture book/fiction

Topic/Theme: Friendship, adventure, community, culture

Grade Level: K-3

Classroom Use: Read aloud, independent reading

Comments: Good when talking about differences

[Christy]

After long journeys, an inside mouse and an outside mouse each arrive at opposite sides of a window and press their noses up against it to say "Hello!" Did they just meet today? Or do they visit every day?

Like Country Mouse and City Mouse

[David]

Offers a simple story and many levels of understanding. The author teaches object relationships, such as in, out, under, over, etc. And figuring out the relationship between the contrasting pictures of inside and outside is a puzzle that will amuse adults and fascinate children.

[Doris Lucas]

This book explains how animals live and what their environments are like. This book is great when introducing children to concepts of pets and their environments. The detailed bold illustrations are really fantastic. I would use this book for a science lesson.

[Amit Tiwary]

This is a very good book to introduce prepositions and spatial concepts to young readers. The illustration is very intuitive, story is good, and page spread is brilliant.

Loved this one. Arhat loves this one too.

[Diana Pettis]

Awesome pictures. My son Xander really got into it.

[Jen]

Tale similar to city mouse/country mouse where one mouse lives inside and one lives outside. They arrive at the small window, meeting each other to say hello. Cute little tale.

[Dotty]

Johnny asked for a re-read today.

[Adams' Country Retreat]

Beautiful illustrations...loved the nature part of the book.

[Celest]

Beautiful illustrations and very simple/subtle story to share with children to help them appreciate the world of tiny animals.

[Nichole]

Cute. Good for teaching parallels.

[Brittany]

I really didn't like this book. When the book is laying open, the left page reflects the actions of one mouse while the right page reflects the actions of the other mouse. It shows them "doing the same things" just in their own environment. Hard for a child to follow and just a terrible layout. Not a fan.

[Becker Children]

The illustrations were fun to pore over and the mice were so cute. This was a cute simple story, but the mirrored way it is written was a little annoying to read; not really great rich language or logical flow.

[Grace Calvin]

This is a story about two mice, inside mouse and outside mouse, and their travels to meet each other in the middle. This book could be a really fun read aloud and may open a door for a discussion about habitats.

[Susan S.C.C.L.]

Loved the illustrations. Simple text about the daily travels of two mice in two different environments.

[Sarah]

Terrifying. An “inside mouse” travels through a home, making it to the window to spot an “outside mouse.” I mean, it’s sweet, but terrifying.

[Juli Anna]

A cute concept, and I loved the side-by-side narratives, but I found the palette of the illustrations terribly jarring.