The Song of the Christmas Mouse

by Shirley Rousseau Murphy, Donna Diamond (Illustrator)

Rick's efforts at capturing a beautiful wild mouse for a pet seem constantly thwarted by his willful younger cousin who has come to stay for Christmas

Genres: Christmas, Childrens, Holiday

87 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 1990

About the author

Shirley Rousseau Murphy is the author of over 40 books, including 24 novels for adults, the Dragonbards Trilogy and more for young adults, and many books for children. She is best known for her Joe Grey cat mystery series, consisting of 21 novels, the last of which was published when she was over 90. Now retired, she enjoys hearing from readers who write to her at her website www.srmurphy.com, where the reading order of the books in that series can be found.

Murphy grew up in southern California, riding and showing the horses her father trained. After attending the San Francisco Art institute she worked as an interior designer, and later exhibited paintings and welded metal sculpture in the West Coast juried shows. "When my husband Pat and I moved to Panama for a four-year tour in his position with the U. S . Courts, I put away the paints and welding torches, and began to write," she says. Later they lived in Oregon, then Georgia, before moving to California, where she now enjoys the sea and views of the Carmel hills.
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Reviews

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Atypical Christmas story. Concise, covering a lot of 'issues' that kids 7-11 do think about. I don't know if I could be so civil to someone so soon after she did so much damage, even though part of the damage was to her own leg and she is only seven.... Would make a very nice family read-aloud.

[Crystal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rick and his younger cousin Hattie Lou clash over Rick's new "Canadian Blazer" sled. Rick is furious with Hattie Lou when she steals the sled and tries to use it alone on the biggest hill in town, but he loses some of his furor when she crashes and breaks her leg. Meanwhile, Rick has been trying to surreptitiously use a humane trap to capture a little striped mouse he discovered living in their woodpile. With winter coming, the little creature could easily freeze to death. Hattie Lou, ever the pest, interferes with this plan, too. In the end, the little mouse plays a significant, and highly unexpected, role in reconciling the quarreling cousins. An adorable, brief children's chapter book with a hopeful message written by an author I know better for her cat novels for adults.

[Mayda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This magical Christmas tale is not what you would typically expect from a children’s story. There is the death of a pet mouse (at the paws of a neighborhood cat!), and a visit by Hattie Lou, a bratty cousin who sneaks off with her cousin Rick’s new sled. Rick has seen a strange colored mouse which he thinks might be offspring of his pet. Hattie Lou upsets Rick’s efforts to rescue the mouse, and then she accidentally breaks his sled. The story deals with the consequences you must face when things go awry. The ending is sweet, but not overly so. This is a good story for older grade schoolers.

[L.A. Eaton · Rating 4 out of 5]

From the beginning, you care as much as Rick about the mouse struggling to survive in the cold. Then when his pesky cousin, Hattie Lou, arrives you are just as annoyed at her as he is. The concern for the mouse helps change Rick and Hattie Lou's relationship over the course of a few days and leaves them with a Christmas surprise they will never forget. This sweet story with its slower pacing would have been a great read when my kids were smaller 0r for them to read to themselves.

[Geo Hendrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story is so wonderful I think Hallmark should make a movie out of it!