Christopher Mouse: The Tale of a Small Traveler

by William Wise, Patrick Benson (Illustrator)

After being sold to an unscrupulous pet store owner, a young mouse lives with several owners and has many adventures, before ending up with an appreciative family.

Genres: Fiction, Childrens, Animals, Fantasy, Kids, Juvenile, Adventure

160 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

Reviews

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book as part of the Battle of the Books competition for this year. I found it entirely charming. I am impressed with the writing style and language William Wise uses here. He gives a lot of credit to his young readers and what they are capable of reading and understanding. I like that this story doesn't condescend to them in any way, and gives them great opportunities to expand their vocabulary. When I read this, I was surprised to see that it was first published only a decade ago. It has the feel to me of the quality children's literature of some sixty or so years ago.

[Traci Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this one out loud to the kids, and we all really enjoyed it! A cute story, beautifully told. I'm glad we liked it, since a spilled glass of water resulted in us buying the library book! I'm sure we'll read it again. 😀

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mice are smarter than we think. Christopher mouse is raised in a home where mice are sold to both pet stores and the dreaded laboratory. Christopher has a special bond with his sister who ends up at a pet store with him. But, they are soon separated and Christopher finds himself in a terrible situation. He must manage on his own and find an owner who will care for him properly.

This is a fantasy story that would please the youngest chapter book readers. This book won a California Young Reader Medal in 2007 in the Intermediate category. This is surprising for me because the theme of this book is very light and seems like it would be difficult for all intermediate readers to enjoy. I would recommend this book for third graders that are above reading level and fourth grade readers.

[Gracie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked the book because Christopher escaped and because he opened the box gently but not so hard that the boy could feel Christopher. The boy was a liar and said he had no pets but he had pets. The boy, maybe, he wanted a lot of pets so the house would be filled with pets. Him and his sister lived apart from each other but in the end their was another mouse in the pet shop and Christopher was safe. Gracie, Age 5

[John Bohnert · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this charming tale of a small white mouse.

[Vivian Duque Manley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute book, fast read!

[Little Miss Netty · Rating 3 out of 5]

A charming little tale, and a quick and easy read. Definitely for the younger reader though.

[Jackie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Christopher Mouse begins life in the house of Mrs. Crimmins. He and his three brothers and one sister are lovingly cared for by their mother. Eventually, though, his mother tells him Mrs. Crimmins will sell them to one of two places: a pet shop or the dreaded animal testing laboratory. Christopher and Anna, his sister long to move together to a family which treats them with kindness and compassion. Eventually Anna and Christopher are sold to a pet shop, but Anna leaves with a little girl and Christopher goes home with Freddy, who loves and cares for him. When Freddy is tricked into giving Christopher to a brutish boy, he life goes all topsy-turvy. He travels from a pleasant home, to a not-so-pleasant home, to a museum and back to another loving family. Surprises await him in every place that he lives, but will his biggest wish come true? Stranger things have happened!

[Timberley Mouat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Do you like adventur,and poems if you say yes then this book is right for you.This book has both of those.

It started out when a mother mouse with about 5 babies.And the mother mouse has a owner.The owner has a job where she has to take the babie mice and take them away from there mother,and cell them ethier a pet shop or a miedical labortory.

[Shelley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun book for reading aloud. Lots of new vocabulary and a sweet story. My boys (5, 6 & 8) would have probably liked a little more action, but they got a kick out of trying to guess what would happen next and they loved the ending.

[Opal · Rating 5 out of 5]

What if we read our children this book before we gave them small pets?

Christopher Mouse is a wonderfully eccentric and colorful way of painting the world of a pet mouse and giving humanity to an animal that is often seen as disposable, an 'easy pet' or even worse just food for other pets like snakes. I found myself as a 20-something thoroughly invested in Christophers' journey. From the wise advice his mother gives him as a little mouse to the variety of homes he lives in I found myself intrigued and yet understood what each place meant for Christopher.

For some reason I was reminded of the Velveteen Rabbit maybe because we all hope for endings that show despite the wear and tear of our journey that we can end up loved, happy and where we belong again. What a happy little book with sprinkles of life lessons for kids. The chapters were short, great for a bed time story and give parents plenty of space to talk about the good owners and the bad. Mr. Wise has my respect as an author and as an animal lover because this book gave me a little fantasy, and just enough reality to make it useful and suggestible to parents who want to maybe introduce a small pet to a child.

[Natalie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Last Battle of the Books novel! Phew! It’s always a relief to be done with these. I finished most of them last summer and I’ve had two left since September. I finally decided I better get it done.

This was definitely the year of the mouse in the Battle books. I’m not exactly sure why people love reading books about mice, but I am not one of them. I couldn’t care less about the lives of mice.

I do think kids would enjoy this. It’s easy to read and Christopher, despite being a mouse, is a likable character. (For kids.)

I just didn’t care much about any of it, hence the lower rating. It’s not poorly written, just not to my taste.

Christopher has a hard time finding a good place to live. Being a mouse, a lot of people don’t care for him.

[Beth Given · Rating 4 out of 5]

Christopher is a white mouse, living with his mother and sister and brothers, enjoying cheese and nuts, learning to read, even composing poetry. But his mother warns her children that their good lives together won't last: when they are old enough, they will be separated and assigned to fates as lab mice or pets. Christopher ends up as a pet in the hands of various owners, some benevolent and others abusive. When he gets the opportunity finally take control of his fate, he finds that life doesn't get immediately better, but ultimately he can set himself on a path that will lead to happiness.

My eight-year-old son and I read this aloud together for Battle of the Books, and while it's not my favorite book set in the Metropolitan Museum of Art (obviously that's The Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler) nor is it my favorite book in which a small animal composes poetry (Rabbit Hill edges above that one), this is still a good story.

The ending has just a touch of ambiguity, which I think was frustrating for my son, but I liked it. It's rare for a children's story to put so much trust in their readers.

[Nina · Rating 4 out of 5]

🦇#christophermouse by #williamwise 🐭
Christopher was a white mouse. Through many trials and adventures, he's found many places and owners. He'd been through the good and the bad time. There were two options white mice ended up; in a lab rat or a pet shop. Christopher ended up in a pet shop but it didn't mean his life after that became easier.

[Metha Sintani · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is entertaining and adorable. I've been working with mice by hurting them for lab studies and never I was glad to do that. That's why reading Christopher's adventure delights me as I always know that every little creature has their own journey. Kids would enjoy reading this, and probably great for them who are trying to care for their little pets.

[Kristin Eoff · Rating 4 out of 5]

This cute little book is a fun and easy read, reminiscent of "The Mouse and the Motorcycle," "Stuart Little" and "A Cricket in Times Square." It does not talk down to its readers at all and uses good vocabulary words to relate the adventures of the likable protagonist.

[Lindsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

My 9-year-old son read this book and loved it. I now see why. The story is darling and movies quickly with one adventure after another. I gave this book 4 stars mainly because it is perfect for its target group of young elementary aged (3rd grade and up) readers. Would also be a great read aloud.

[Nicole Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not bad, kind of reminded me of Stuart little and Tale of Desperoux.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a fun book to read with my kids!

[Sherise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really fun read for kids. It has ups and downs as the story is told of this mouse.

[Elizabeth Ricks · Rating 3 out of 5]

For the Book Battle

[Jazzy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a gr8 book it is kind of sad😢but other than that this is a gr8 book

[Leo Harrison · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautifully charming tale, with great storytelling. The writing style perfectly matches the plot, weaving together a fantastic tale for children, with brilliantly executed characters and premise.

[SatKartar · Rating 5 out of 5]

After reading this I wanted a mouse.

[Carolyn Page · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cute little children's short chapter book. Reminiscent of Beverly Cleary's books, though I'm not sure which was written first. I've never wanted a mouse for a pet and I don't now, but they make charming characters.

[Leigha Nunnally · Rating 4 out of 5]

Totes adorbs.

[Emily Anne]

Of all the kids books I've read, I can say this one didn't feel like even kids would enjoy it , just meh .

[Wendy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this was a cute children's book about the adventures of Christopher the Mouse.

[Marisa Carter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hooray for a happy ending!

[Danielle Swanson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute story but oh so dark - I started reading it to my 8yo and stopped because the beginning of each chapter was more depressing than the last.