New School for Mouse

PreS-Gr 2–A tender story about a young mouse who is sent to live with a foster family and attend a new school away from his home and friends. Mouse faces overwhelming feelings of anxiety on his first day of school, but soon makes friends with a rabbit classmate who is deaf and also feeling lonely. They become friends and use their friendship to make another new classmate feel welcome. The hand-drawn illustration style features lots of squiggles and can look a little unfinished, but still has a lot of charm. The story introduces a few different themes, including foster homes, foster sibling relations, and making new friends at school. However, with no recap at the end, these elements feel a little disjointed. For instance, it seems that Mouse’s foster home is only mentioned in the beginning pages to convey that Mouse is feeling extra anxiety about his new school because of his new living situation.