The Church Mice Adrift

The Church Mice #5

by Graham Oakley

Expelled by a band of rats from the vestry of Wortlethorp Church, the church mice devise a foolproof scheme to win back their home

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Cats, Animals, Comedy, Adventure, Juvenile

Paperback

First published January 1, 1977

About the author

Graham Oakley is a children's book author and illustrator, most active during the 1960s to 1980s. He is best known for the Church Mice series and also illustrated many book covers in the 60s.

For the current UK author of children's books at Top That! press see Graham Oakley.

Reviews

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

This 1976 picture book was my introduction to the 14-strong Church Mice series. The town of Wortlethorpe is looking to modernize: tearing down all its heritage buildings in favor of glass-fronted monstrosities. This leaves a troop of rats without a home, but they spy an opportunity when they sneak through Sampson’s catflap in the church door. The wily creatures displace the church mice and even Sampson the ginger wonder cat can’t take back his territory. So the cat and his mice are forced to get creative, and come up with a plan that involves a doll’s house turned into a floating café for rats…

I loved the illustrations (the 1970s clothing on the few human characters cracked me up!) and the plot, a good mixture of humor and mild peril. There’s a fair number of words on each page, yet not too many. I can see this being ideal to read aloud with young children before having them take over the reading at age 5 or 6. I look forward to experiencing more of the church mice’s adventures.

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

The fifth installment of Graham Oakley's series of humorous picture-books detailing the adventures of a group of church mice and their cat companion, The Church Mice Adrift sees our favorite rodents evicted from their home in the church vestry by a group of displaced rats (who, the author assures us, are "not really bad fellows, just a little rough"). Predictably, Humphrey pontificates and Arthur deflates, while Sampson the long-suffering comes up with a plan...

I continue to enjoy Oakley's series, which seems to be little known here in the United States, and is long out-of-print. Like The Church Mice Spread Their Wings before it, the humorous disconnect between the mice's perception of their cat companion, and Sampson's actual role as protector and savior, is rather charming. The colorful and very detailed illustrations will engross young readers, who will be rooting for the church mice and their homecoming.

[Cindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A favorite series with my children in Australia.

[Alina White]

Re-read September 2015.

[LJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

The fifth book in the Church Mice series is possibly my least favourite. Don't get me wrong, it is still filled with beautiful and amusing illustrations and witty writing but I didn't really laugh aloud reading this one, whereas usually there are multiple pages when I just have to stop until I have finished giggling. Probably a major contributor to that is that in this book the villains are rats and it is filled with negative rat stereotypes that are just inaccurate. It's not as bad as it could be, because the rats are introduced as sympathetic characters and they do (off-screen) get a happy ending. There is one early illustration of a soggy rat pointing in despair at a WELCOME mat as they are chased by a frying-pan-wielding woman back into the rain that can't help but win you over. But for the rest of the book, the rats are the antagonists to our heroes the mice. Therefore they are drawn to look mean and unpleasant, even though in reality rats look pretty identical to mice, just bigger. There is an extended joke as well that rats are dirty and like to eat rotten food, even though rats are notably clean animals who like most animals tend not to eat rotten food because it would make them ill. Even at the end the mice return to their home to find it covered in filth due to the rats even though a rat's main characteristic is that they love to steal and hoard things, so they wouldn't leave rubbish all over the floor like that, they'd have it all in a big pile in the corner or something. Generally speaking I love these books, I love that through the mice they can teach children to care about animals that we are usually taught to view as vermin and that through Sampson they can teach children that animals are not just there to be eaten etc, so I am disappointed with the lazy representation of rats as vile. These books are usually really clever and this is just lazy. It's still a fun picture book overall, just not the best of the generally perfect series.

[Sannro · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vi läste "Kyrkmössen på drift" som finns att låna på biblioteket.

https://biblioteket.stockholm.se/tite...

Den var mysig, en lite mer krävande bilderbok och det är kul att det finns just böcker med många illustrationer som också har en roligt och svårare språk. Den föll i god jord, tror att vi snart har läst igenom hela sortimentet på biblioteket. Roligt att dom finns där.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable series that has enough overlapping characters from book to book, without requiring you to read the series in order. Detailed illustrations that add humor to the story for the adult reader.

[wildct2003 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Storytelling not as clear, story not as fun as others in the series.

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

The church mice have been evicted from the vestry by a pack of rats. Sampson the cat finds them temporary shelter, while Humphrey is determined to lead the church mice to victory and Arthur has a plan...
As usual, the church mice manage to be very funny. I love the pictures in this one even more than usual!

[Carole Campbell Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the clueless Humphrey and the cranky but kind, ginger cat, Sampson. Their silliness gets them into many outrageous adventures. They are the "Lucy and Ethel" of cats and mice. I have loved this series for years and was thrilled when I was able to share them with my son.

[Eyehavenofilter · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is book 5 in the series and the mice are forced out of their home by some nasty rats...real rats, and Sampson and the mice have to rid themselves and their home of the vermin. The escapades are funny and frantic , worth the read for sure.

[Matt Millslagle · Rating 5 out of 5]

An epic series on friendship from an unlikely pairing. The writing is well done and reading it to your kids and actively exploring the vocabulary is a guaranteed way to expand their understanding of words. I can't recomend this book and the others in the series, more highly.

[April · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the "Church Mice" series when I was really little, and lately I tried to complete my set as an adult only to find that they're out of print and extremely expensive now! How unfortunate!

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

i don't know which is better, the art or the story. the two books in this series i bought are the most enjoyable i've gotten from the berkeley library thrift store

[Mary Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute story of how mice were forced out of their home by rats and how they with the cat (also forced from its home) work together to get rid of the rats and regain their home.

[Phillip Parker · Rating 4 out of 5]

The church mice and the chuch cat are awesome! :)