Thursday, May 28, 2009

Tumtum & Nutmeg Adventures Beyond Nutmouse Hall by Emily Bearn

If your child has read the Borrowers or Littles series and loved them, this is the book for them!

This book is the compilation of three tales about two married mice who live in a broom closet in their own many roomed home. They dress like people, enjoy their quiet routines, and eat what bits and pieces of food they find on the floor or bring in from the back yard.

The first story introduces you to them and Arthur and Lucy, the children who live in the home with their inventor father - who forgets about them most of the time. They decide they need to secretly look after them, and Nutmeg tells the children she's a fairy to explain why she does all her errands at night while they are sleeping. All is going well until Aunt Ivy moves in - she hates mice! And, of course, she manages to catch them on the stairs as they are coming down from the children's room.

She mounts an effort to eradicate them, but isn't very successful. In the meantime, the mice ask General Marchmouse to help them. You won't believe how they manage to run Aunt Ivy off - and the children are thrilled she's gone, too!

The next story also features General Marchmouse, but unfortunately for him, he's caught and taken to school to be a pet in the children's schoolroom. They put him in with nude gerbils, can you imagine? And then the teacher intends to eliminate the pets because she doesn't like them.

Can Tumtum and Nutmeg save them with the help of Ms. Tiptoe's bouncing ballerina army?

The next story, the General gets in trouble again. This time he takes the toy boat out on the water with Tumtum and Nutmeg aboard, although they didn't want to go. He has big plans about discovering an island and naming it after himself. They do find an island, but he scuttles the boat trying to land it. And then they find out there are rats on the other side of the island! Will they get back? Will they ever talk to General Marshmouse again?

Nick Price is the illustrator and his graphics really make the stories come to life.

This is a delightful book and should make the young one in your life smile!

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

My daycare kids and I would love this book!
I'm going to put it on my "get" list, and when I have some money, will be looking for it, at the bookstores, that I frequent!
Thank you so much for the great review!
Donna

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