Mouse and Mole

I felt the need for a book review, but I’ve been nose deep in grown-up books lately, so I turned to something new I read from BalletBoy’s library pile.  In the grand tradition of Frog and Toad, I bring you Mouse and Mole, an early reader series by Wong Herbert Yee at a slightly higher level than their amphibian cousins.  Mouse and Mole are neighbors and friends.  Each book contains a series of interconnected stories about their everyday lives.  Mouse is exuberant and Mole is slightly gloomy.  These books are a little below BalletBoy’s reading level, but he checked them out and devoured them then re-read them, so I figured there had to be something to them.  The stories themselves are sweet and mildly amusing.  However, I adore the illustrations.  They’re just little pen and ink drawings with watercolors, but they’re very vibrant and illustrative.  Toss this series in with your Cynthia Rylants and your Cowgirl Kate and Cocoas as another solid early reader offering that isn’t just biding time until you get to the “real” books.