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Walter the Lazy Mouse
The classic 1937 tale by award-winning author Marjorie Flack is back in print for the first time in decades!
Walter is a lazy mouse. He is so lazy that he always misses school and spends all his time in bed. He is so lazy that eventually his family forgets about him and moves away…without him. Alone and scared, Walter heads out into the world to search for his family. He travels through a dark forest and soon meets a turtle and some frogs. Walter decides to create a new home on Mouse Island. His froggy friends live nearby, and Walter tries to teach them things. With his own island—and friends who depend on him—Walter must learn to take care of himself. There is no time to be lazy! But will Walter ever see his family again? First published in 1937 and back in print for the first time in decades with Marjorie Flack’s own illustrations, this is a classic tale of adventure and friendship, and the importance of perseverance. An introduction from noted librarian Nancy Pearl is included.
Walter is a lazy mouse. He is so lazy that he always misses school and spends all his time in bed. He is so lazy that eventually his family forgets about him and moves away…without him. Alone and scared, Walter heads out into the world to search for his family. He travels through a dark forest and soon meets a turtle and some frogs. Walter decides to create a new home on Mouse Island. His froggy friends live nearby, and Walter tries to teach them things. With his own island—and friends who depend on him—Walter must learn to take care of himself. There is no time to be lazy! But will Walter ever see his family again? First published in 1937 and back in print for the first time in decades with Marjorie Flack’s own illustrations, this is a classic tale of adventure and friendship, and the importance of perseverance. An introduction from noted librarian Nancy Pearl is included.
95 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1937
177 people are currently reading
873 people want to read
About the author
Marjorie Flack
66 books41 followershttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marjori...
Marjorie Flack was an American artist and writer of children's picture books. She was best known for The Story about Ping (1933), illustrated by Kurt Wiese, popularized by Captain Kangaroo, and for her stories of an insatiably curious Scottish terrier named Angus, who was actually her dog. Her first marriage was to artist Karl Larsson; she later married poet William Rose Benét.
Her book Angus Lost was featured prominently in the film Ask the Dust (2006), starring Colin Farrell and Salma Hayek, in which Farrell's character teaches Hayek's character, a Mexican, to read English using Flack's book.
Flack's grandson, Tim Barnum, and his wife, Darlene Enix-Barnum, currently sponsor an annual creative writing award at Anne Arundel Community College. The Marjorie Flack Award for Fiction consists of a $250 prize for the best short story or children's storybook written by a current AACC student.
Marjorie Flack was an American artist and writer of children's picture books. She was best known for The Story about Ping (1933), illustrated by Kurt Wiese, popularized by Captain Kangaroo, and for her stories of an insatiably curious Scottish terrier named Angus, who was actually her dog. Her first marriage was to artist Karl Larsson; she later married poet William Rose Benét.
Her book Angus Lost was featured prominently in the film Ask the Dust (2006), starring Colin Farrell and Salma Hayek, in which Farrell's character teaches Hayek's character, a Mexican, to read English using Flack's book.
Flack's grandson, Tim Barnum, and his wife, Darlene Enix-Barnum, currently sponsor an annual creative writing award at Anne Arundel Community College. The Marjorie Flack Award for Fiction consists of a $250 prize for the best short story or children's storybook written by a current AACC student.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 74 reviews
April 24, 2022
This was a favorite of my childhood, and one of the firsts I read on my own that truly made me feel I’d entered the wonderful world of books!
It’s a great transitional book to help your littles go from picture book to chapter book. There’s pictures on almost every single page. And entirely adorable pictures too! Walter standing on Mouse Island, Walter’s furniture and then furniture fiasco… Szekeres did a lovely job! I’m not sure that the newest publication has her illustrations, and you won’t want to miss them, so find out before your purchase.
As for the story, it put spurs to my daily routine! I didn’t want to be lazy like Walter and have the same thing happen to me! I learned from Walter and luckily he learned too, after a couple hard blows. Not only does he learn the importance of work, but also being on time, paying attention and learning in school.
This is an old gem that I hope everyone will read!
Ages: 3 - 9
It’s a great transitional book to help your littles go from picture book to chapter book. There’s pictures on almost every single page. And entirely adorable pictures too! Walter standing on Mouse Island, Walter’s furniture and then furniture fiasco… Szekeres did a lovely job! I’m not sure that the newest publication has her illustrations, and you won’t want to miss them, so find out before your purchase.
As for the story, it put spurs to my daily routine! I didn’t want to be lazy like Walter and have the same thing happen to me! I learned from Walter and luckily he learned too, after a couple hard blows. Not only does he learn the importance of work, but also being on time, paying attention and learning in school.
This is an old gem that I hope everyone will read!
Ages: 3 - 9
July 27, 2023
I found this book at a thrift store and took a chance on it. I have the 1963 edition published with Cyndy Szekeres’ illustrations and absolutely loved it! It’s a sweet little moral story that is different from other books I’ve read. Charlotte Mason often describes books that cause delight and moral thinking for children— this book seems to fit the bill well.
“Walter the Lazy Mouse” is a simple, no-frills book about a mouse so lazy and late that his family never sees him, then eventually forgets about him and moves away. On Walter’s journey to find his family he learns the value of hard work.
This story also depicts belonging in a family, the importance of practicing something to remember it, and perseverance. The illustrations are in black, white, and green, though absolutely captivating and beautiful. The images support the story well.
I am looking forward to reading this to my second grade classroom!
“Walter the Lazy Mouse” is a simple, no-frills book about a mouse so lazy and late that his family never sees him, then eventually forgets about him and moves away. On Walter’s journey to find his family he learns the value of hard work.
This story also depicts belonging in a family, the importance of practicing something to remember it, and perseverance. The illustrations are in black, white, and green, though absolutely captivating and beautiful. The images support the story well.
I am looking forward to reading this to my second grade classroom!
July 12, 2022
How absolutely delightful this little book is!
October 28, 2017
I read this to my 6 year old, and he loved it.
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November 16, 2015Walter is a very lazy mouse in a large family. He is so slow and lazy that he never even sees his family because they get everything done before he gets there. One day, he comes home to find that his family has left and they forgot about him because he was so slow. He decides to search for them but soon gets lost in the forest. After searching alone in the dark he hears a noise and meets a nice group of frogs. They take him in and he is given his own island to live on. He becomes friends with three frogs and a turtle so he decides to give them names. After a few days of Walter being lazy the frogs stop coming to see him and forget who he is. Walter decides he will not be lazy anymore and will do everything with the frogs so they do not forget him again. He even teaches them what he learned in school. Then one day when it turned cold the turtle said that he knows where Mouse Village is and he takes Walter back home to get warm clothes. Walter meets his family again and decides to stay in school and work hard so he will have more to teach the frogs. He says he will visit the frogs again when it gets warm outside.
1. What would you have done in Walter's situation when his family left?
2. What is the relationship between Walter and the three frogs?
3. What is your opinion on the turtle and why do you feel that way?
4. What do you predict will happen in Walter's future?
5. How would you rewrite the story from Walter's mom's point of view?
Flack, M. (2015). Walter, the Lazy Mouse. New York: Two Lions.
1. What would you have done in Walter's situation when his family left?
2. What is the relationship between Walter and the three frogs?
3. What is your opinion on the turtle and why do you feel that way?
4. What do you predict will happen in Walter's future?
5. How would you rewrite the story from Walter's mom's point of view?
Flack, M. (2015). Walter, the Lazy Mouse. New York: Two Lions.
December 18, 2015
Flack fans will want to stick with Ping, after this insubstantial story that follows form for simplistic children's literature of the 1930s and 40s. Walter's family disappears one day (never explained why) and in a panic he runs away from home and winds up on an island with three vapid and silly frogs with no long-term memory, and a turtle. He manages to make it after a multitude of mistakes and then is shown the way back to Mouse Village by the turtle. The art is perfect and delightful, but only a very young child will be entranced by the story. A Nancy Pearl "rediscovery" that probably should have stayed out of print.
September 1, 2018
Kind of shocked this has been reprinted.. Why? HATE hate the way he is constantly called "lazy", why not Walter: the kid who has neglectful parents? The parents move way and don't seem to even notice he's gone, how sad is that? Could also be called "Parents who have too many kids" (they are rodents after all). Should have stayed in the past with other kid books that aimed to shame kids into "better" behaviour. Why is Walter "lazy" when he's just a little kid? It's obvious this kid feels disconnected from his busy judgey community.
July 6, 2016
A charming kids story with the original illustrations.
June 29, 2019
This book messed me up as a kid and re-reading it confirmed a great fear of being left behind! Maybe this is where my fear emanated from.
March 29, 2022
Classic story from 1937 about Walter, a little mouse who is so lazy and slow that eventually his family forgets all about him and moves away, leaving Walter behind. Walter discovers new places and new friends, and because of circumstances is forced to be much more alert and industrious. When he is joyfully reunited with his family, he’s not a lazy mouse anymore.
I’ll go ahead and admit that I don’t think I would have liked this book as a child, but I was a strange child. I had a very strong prejudice against stories in which animals wore clothes and acted like people (so I hated Beatrix Potter and other similar books). I also was an extraordinarily fearful child, and constantly worried that my parents would forget about me and just leave me somewhere and I’d never see them again. (My parents were great and very loving. This phobia wasn’t their fault. Like I said, I was strange.) So it’s probably not a bad thing that I never discovered this book in childhood.
Now, however, I like this book just fine. It’s silly and humorous, and neither offensive nor stupid. I particularly love the illustrations! The picture of the frogs trying to wear clothes is my favorite. My own children (who loved Beatrix Potter) would probably have really enjoyed this when they were younger. It’s a good choice as a read-aloud for kids 4 and up or for independent reading for ages 6-9.
I’ll go ahead and admit that I don’t think I would have liked this book as a child, but I was a strange child. I had a very strong prejudice against stories in which animals wore clothes and acted like people (so I hated Beatrix Potter and other similar books). I also was an extraordinarily fearful child, and constantly worried that my parents would forget about me and just leave me somewhere and I’d never see them again. (My parents were great and very loving. This phobia wasn’t their fault. Like I said, I was strange.) So it’s probably not a bad thing that I never discovered this book in childhood.
Now, however, I like this book just fine. It’s silly and humorous, and neither offensive nor stupid. I particularly love the illustrations! The picture of the frogs trying to wear clothes is my favorite. My own children (who loved Beatrix Potter) would probably have really enjoyed this when they were younger. It’s a good choice as a read-aloud for kids 4 and up or for independent reading for ages 6-9.
January 24, 2026
When squeaky clean meets well written, this is what you get! Age appropriate and delightful!
As mentioned on other reviews, I have high standards for books for my first grader. I previewed this (quick read for an adult) and very confidently passed it on to my daughter.
Parents, I had no reason for hesitation.
In addition, Marjorie Flack addresses laziness without being heavy handed. She similarly covers life lessons such as being flexible when things don’t work out, listening in school, and the mature life skill of being able to laugh at oneself.
As a side note, my animal-loving daughter wanted to be sure going in that no animals were harmed, maimed or murdered in the course of the story - and none were. Well, there is that little bit about Walter being completely forgotten about. I suppose one could argue that was harmful to his psyche … and I did wonder how Marjorie would flesh such a plot line out. Without giving away the plot, I’ll just say she managed it and it somehow made better sense in the book than in the dust jacket summary. (Thankfully Walter is a mouse and not a little boy, which of course could never be managed) And what seems so traumatic at the start of the book really becomes the making of Walter.
As mentioned on other reviews, I have high standards for books for my first grader. I previewed this (quick read for an adult) and very confidently passed it on to my daughter.
Parents, I had no reason for hesitation.
In addition, Marjorie Flack addresses laziness without being heavy handed. She similarly covers life lessons such as being flexible when things don’t work out, listening in school, and the mature life skill of being able to laugh at oneself.
As a side note, my animal-loving daughter wanted to be sure going in that no animals were harmed, maimed or murdered in the course of the story - and none were. Well, there is that little bit about Walter being completely forgotten about. I suppose one could argue that was harmful to his psyche … and I did wonder how Marjorie would flesh such a plot line out. Without giving away the plot, I’ll just say she managed it and it somehow made better sense in the book than in the dust jacket summary. (Thankfully Walter is a mouse and not a little boy, which of course could never be managed) And what seems so traumatic at the start of the book really becomes the making of Walter.
June 22, 2018
This was a book from amazon unlimited books. I read it on my kindle. It has nice little illustrations. It gives the animals ability to talk, go to school, wear clothes, etc. Walter Mouse is very lazy, and gets left behind when his family moved to a new home. It makes Walter have to get out on his own, and teaches him to appreciate learning, and the need to learn in so many ways. He makes friends with three frogs, and tries to teach these new friends in his own school. He teaches them wrong things, which he learns when he goes back home, and goes back to school. Then he wants to return to his friends in the summer, to teach them the correct things. He learns that his family loves and missed him when he was gone, and they come to visit him when he is back with his frog friends, and learns how proud his parents are of him.
October 16, 2025
This chapter book consists of ten chapters to delight young readers. Walter lived with his mother, father, five brothers, and six sisters in a cozy little house in Mouse Village. Everyone was busy, everyone except Walter - a lazy little mouse who was very late for everything and liked to stay in bed as much as possible. It got so that he was so slow and late that he didn’t even see his family anymore. When he got home late one day he discovered that his family had moved away and left him behind, having forgotten him. The rest of the story is about Walter searching for his family and having to make a new life for himself instead. Great story with a happy ending.
March 16, 2021
Reading a children's book published in the 1930's makes you think about how different the times were then versus now. Can you even refer to any child as "lazy" now in social media? 11 children in a family is certainly frowned upon now. Are the frogs, who are friendly, but forgetful depicting some ethnic minority? Just forget all that crap. I liked it.
December 29, 2018
I had this book read to me by one of my primary School teachers way back in the day, my wife found it and i re read it myself and the story is as fresh and adventurous as it was ??? years ago. It teaches a good series of lessons and it is timeless in it's approach.
November 17, 2021
I remembered this book from first grade in the 1970s and my sister-in-law finally found a copy for me. The story is just as fun as I remembered. I did not remember the three frog friends, which is humorous because their memories are also very short in the story.
January 26, 2022
Walter's pretty busy for a lazy mouse
What a delight like all the Nancy Pearl recommended books. I only read it on her recommendation and I'm glad I did. Very nice pacing of Walter's growth from lazy to industrious.
What a delight like all the Nancy Pearl recommended books. I only read it on her recommendation and I'm glad I did. Very nice pacing of Walter's growth from lazy to industrious.
December 11, 2025
I remember my teacher Mrs Brooks reading this aloud to my second-grade class in 1972 at Fife Elementary school. I must have liked it then to have remembered it all these years later…. But, sorry to say to my seven-year old self, this book is silly and tedious, although the pictures are cute. 😊
July 1, 2017
A childhood classic which still delights kids today!
October 23, 2017
It was a cute story to read to my daughter as a bedtime story. It is an interesting story of friendship. Walter is definitely a funny character and he is a great friend to the frogs and turtle.
November 19, 2017
Natalie gives this 3 stars.
December 5, 2017
A nice little story with charming illustrations, but the story line was forgettable and the use of repetition was tiresome. My 5 year old enjoyed it, but I found myself looking forward to the end.
April 11, 2018
A bit like Wind in the Willows!
May 7, 2018
Kids' books are nuts.
June 15, 2018
Cute story
Cute story about a sweet mouse and his friends. A bit sad because his family moves away without him but we all enjoyed it nonetheless.
Cute story about a sweet mouse and his friends. A bit sad because his family moves away without him but we all enjoyed it nonetheless.
January 14, 2019
Sweet book that encourages kids to not be lazy but in a way that they don't think they are learning about being a hard worker.
September 26, 2019
I read this to my niece and nephew, who loved it. Teaches a good moral of not being lazy.
February 5, 2021
I was pleasantly surprised by this book. It was a beautiful story with moral undertones that delicately balanced a good story with a good lesson. The pictures were so cute too!
October 28, 2021
My kids are really enjoying it and the illustrations help to keep my youngest into it even though it is a longer book (which typically he doesn't pay as much attention to)
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May 14, 2022My first book! I loved it… I was a little bit like Walter… finally I discovered myself.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 74 reviews