Charlie & Mouse Lost and Found

Charlie & Mouse #5

by Laurel Snyder, Emily Hughes (Contributor)

Charlie and Mouse are finding surprises in all sorts of unexpected places. After Mouse's beloved blanket is lost and then found, they find a lost dog (and eventually her owner), seek out some ice cream, and discover a new puppy friend to take home at last.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Chapter Books, Family, Humor, Animals, Dogs

52 pages, Hardcover

Published August 24, 2021

About the author

Laurel Snyder is the author of six children's novels, "Orphan Island," "Seven Stories Up," "Bigger than a Bread Box," "Penny Dreadful," "Up and Down the Scratchy Mountains OR The Search for a Suitable Princess" and "Any Which Wall" (Random House) as well as many picture books, including "Charlie & Mouse," "The Forever Garden," "Swan, the life and dance of Anna Pavlova," and "Baxter, the Pig Who Wanted to Be Kosher."

A graduate of the Iowa Writers' Workshop and a former Michener Fellow, she also writes books for grownups, and is the author of a book of poems, "The Myth of the Simple Machines" (No Tell Books) and a chapbook, "Daphne & Jim: a choose-your-own-adventure biography in verse (Burnside Review Press) and the editor of an anthology, "Half/Life: Jew-ish Tales from Interfaith Homes" (Soft Skull Press).

Though Baltimore will always be her home, she now lives happily in Atlanta.

Reviews

[Becky · Rating 5 out of 5]

First sentence: “Blanket is missing,” said Mouse after lunch.
“Oh no,” said Charlie. “Where did you leave him?”
“If I knew that,” said Mouse, “he would not be missing.”
“That is true,” said Charlie.
Mouse was very sad.
“Don’t be sad,” said Charlie. “Blanket is somewhere. He can’t be nowhere.”

Premise/plot: Lost and Found is the newest addition to the Charlie & Mouse early chapter book series by Laurel Snyder. These brothers are back for even more adventures in this one. Ther are four stories in this one: "Somewhere," "Errands," "Silly," and "Boop." In the first story, Mouse loses his blanket. (Will they find it???) In the second story, the boys go on an errand that doesn't start out all that exciting...but may hold a surprise. In the third story, the boys are loving their new "found" dog. But finders aren't always keepers--especially with lost pets. In the fourth story, the boys do "find" a dog they can keep forever.

My thoughts: I enjoyed this one so much!!! I love Charlie. I love Mouse. I love their stories. The text falls into the just about perfect category. Just a true delight from cover to cover.

[Lisa D · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it!

[Stacie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Two brothers, Charlie and Mouse have gone on many adventures in their book series. In this fifth installment, Charlie and Mouse find something they lost, find someone that might be lost, and find something that may be theirs forever.

In this beginning chapter book, kids who are ready for more than a picture book but not quite ready for a full-on chapter book will find reading this series to be a successful reading experience. There are still plenty of pictures to go along with the story along with repetitive text throughout the individual chapters and the whole book. This particular book has four chapters or stories within the book that feature Charlie and Mouse finding things lost and finding new things.

I love that Charlie and Mouse are close brothers who do everything together. They are kind to each other and help each other, especially when Mouse has lost his beloved blanket. Charlie drops everything to help him find it. Charlie and Mouse also have parents that are willing to try new things and offer the boys support and love when things don’t always work out.

The Charlie and Mouse series is a great new series for kids to feel more independent with their reading. Kids that love sibling stories, stories about dogs, or books that offer positive messages will enjoy this book and the series. Get the whole series for a reader on your Christmas list.

[Becky B · Rating 5 out of 5]

Charlie and Mouse first find themselves looking for a missing blanket, then the owner of a dog they find, and finally perhaps they've found the perfect dog for them?

Another adorable addition to the Charlie & Mouse series. Laurel Snyder is so clever with how she weaves themes throughout the stories, though they at first feel separate, and ties them all together in a neat bow by the end. Spending time with Charlie and Mouse and fam is always a pleasure. The style of houses, clothes, and local flora make me feel like they are supposed to be in Hawaii or Florida or somewhere tropical like that which isn't typical for contemporary picture book settings. I don't know if I picked up on that in the past books. If you haven't met Charlie & Mouse do yourself a favor and grab a book, two, or all five in the series, and definitely hand them to any beginning readers you know who are ready to try out a simple chapter book.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

In four short chapters about things being nowhere and somewhere, brothers Charlie and Mouse find Mouse’s missing Blanket—and a big dog they think is lost. Charlie and Mouse love the dog (they name Silly), but their cat, Kittenhead, doesn’t. They are sad when a boy comes to claim Silly (whose name is actually Millie), but find a puppy (they name Boop) in a box in a bush while on a walk with their parents to get ice cream cones and take it home. Young readers won’t want to lose time catching up with Charlie and Mouse in the first four books in this engaging early reader series. (PreK-Gr 2)

[Shaye Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you aren't yet familiar with the Charlie & Mouse series, I highly recommend grabbing up one of these short, early chapter books to enjoy either alone or with a youngster in your life. I was happy to dive back into this sweet world where Charlie and Mouse find something when they least expected to. Very sweet ending!

[Robin · Rating 2 out of 5]

A pair of brothers find and lose things, giving them the opportunity to talk about how these findings and losses make them feel.
It's an ok story, good for emergent readers transitioning to chapter books, but not especially exciting. I found it rather bland overall.

[Sherry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gentle and simple, short and sweet - this serves its purpose as a transitional chapter book for early readers. Beyond that, it's not really memorable beyond the cute names for the puppies involved - Silly and Boop are names worth remembering for future canine members of my house.

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lost blanket, a found Big dog whose owner returns and a new little dog are all a part of Charlie and Mouse’s adventures this time.

Sweet early read for students who will relate to their everyday occurrences. This won a NERDIE award in the Early reader/beginning chapter book category in 2021.

[Alice · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars for this addition to the emergent reader series

[Cristine Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

Delightful.

[Elizabeth Roibal · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked how all of the stories related to one another, and how there was a recurring theme of sharing and kindness. Very sweet story.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A blanket, two dogs, and sooo many boring errands. More delightfully mundane adventures for Charlie and Mouse.

[Lee]

"I did not know I was a somewhere."
"You're my favorite somewhere."
I'm not crying, you're crying.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

In four short chapters about things being nowhere and somewhere, brothers Charlie and Mouse find Mouse’s missing Blanket—and a big dog they think is lost. Charlie and Mouse love the dog (they name Silly), but their cat, Kittenhead, doesn’t. They are sad when a boy comes to claim Silly (whose name is actually Millie), but find a puppy (they name Boop) in a box in a bush while on a walk with their parents to get ice cream cones and take it home. Young readers won’t want to lose time catching up with Charlie and Mouse in the first four books in this engaging early reader series. (PreK-Gr 2)