The stories are heartwarming, classic, yet simple adventures, very traditional English, with mice as the characters. The illustrations are brilliant, especially if you're into precious miniatures, dollhouses, and lots and lots of detail. Some people are not, but even they might appreciate the skill Jill Barklem demonstrates with watercolor and pen and ink. My daughter and I love reading these stories together, and pouring over the pictures, which tell a good bit of the story in themselves. We often discover something new in them because there's so much to look at.