Milly and Tilly: The Story of a Town Mouse and a Country Mouse

This is a book my girls just loved when they were a few years younger. Maggie Kneen's illustrations are just simply wonderful and the story about how the town mouse is frightened by everything in the country and how the country mouse is frightened by everything in the city, especially by the cat is very nice, too. I used to use this book to tell my girls that people in other places (we travel a lot) would think their lives were as strange as she thought the childen's lives were in some of the places we vistied. In short this is a very good book for toddlers and it's got a nice message as well.

The popularity of mice in children's literature is underscored Again and again with each new season. Milly And Tilly by Kate Summers, illustrated by Maggie Kneen introduces two friends, a country mouse and a city mouse, who eventually find that home is best.

This is the tale of two mice, one if from the city, Milly, and the other from the country, Tilly. They go to visit each other in their houses. When the Milly goes to visit the Tilly at her country cottage and she is overwhelmed by the peacefulness. It actually starts to drive her a little crazy because she is used to the craziness of the city. They then go to the town where Milly lives. Now Tilly feels out of place. She likes the peacefulness of the country. The hectic city is just too much for her. They both realize that they are happy where they are and that they just like different things. I like this book because it tells the tale of two mice that like different things but are still friends. When they go to visit each other at one another's houses they realize that they are happy where they are. They are both content with what they have and don't have to change. I think that is what the author is trying to get across in this story. You should be happy with you have and you don't have to change as long as your happy with yourself and where you are in life. Through this story the mice realize this and are all that more satisfied with themselves.

This "fish out of water" story concludes with the timeless moral that each of us should be content with our lot in life. Country mouse Tilly invites her city friend to visit, and then town mouse Milly reciprocates. Though they both enjoy each other's company, they part with a new respect for their own place in life.Kneen's warm, inviting watercolors of the English countryside perfectly set off the lovingly detailed text. Summers seems to have the knack for exposition without going overboard. From the description of Tilly doing her sweeping, cleaning and other "mousework" to the detailed tour of the rooms in Milly's well-furnished townhouse, this book keeps children engrossed from beginning to end.