RV Mouse

 Guardian Angel Publishing, Inc., February 2010  The little mouse living at a campground was very hungry, but waited until everyone went to sleep before he could look for food. One night when there was only one tent and one RV in the whole park, he detected the scent of chocolate from the tent and decided to investigate. Finding a tiny opening, he crawled into the tent and started nibbling on a chocolate wrapper, but when he inadvertently tickled the nose of one of the young women sleeping there, she awoke screaming. Frightened, he tried to hide, but found himself bound tightly inside the candy wrapper. After the occupants scrambled out of the tent and to the safety of their car, the mouse managed to wriggle his way out of the wrapper and the tent. But the poor mouse was still hungry. Spotting the RV, he climbed up the tire, into the engine, through a tiny vent and inside. He did not see or smell any food, so he jumped onto the couch, whiskers brushing against a little girl’s face, scaring her. He hid behind the couch to remain unseen, and in the morning the girl told her grandmother a mouse had frightened her. The RV’s owner searched and found the vent where the mouse had entered. Shutting it so the mouse could not escape, they left the camper. The mouse was alone and looked for a way out to no avail. Very tired, he fell into a heavy sleep and dreamed of peanut butter. He woke to find a strange contraption nearby, which was dotted with peanut butter! He stole some, and avoided getting trapped, so the man put down more hoping to snare him. What happens to this little mouse who is only seeking nourishment? Will he make it out of the RV safely? Will he find something to eat? Will the humans catch him?  At the conclusion of the story, the author offers explanations and information about RVs and camping, as well as supplying different RVing websites. Ms. Kelso, a multi-published children’s writer, delights us with another charming tale that is sure to entice the young reader. By putting the reader in the perspective of the humble mouse, it may help give youngsters insight of the little rodents’ habits and also alleviate any fears about them they may have. The pastel illustrations by the very talented Ms. Snider truly enhance the text and augment the story. Reviewer Nancy Carty Lepri is the author of children’s chapter book, Tiny Angel.