The Mouse and the Song

Before the days of D.B. Johnson and the Henry books, Marilynne K. Roach produced several books which introduced youngsters to the writings and life of Henry David Thoreau. "The Mouse and the Song" begins by describing the life of Mouse, who lives in an unnamed woods near an unnamed pond. She leads a typical mouse life, full of the usual dangers and the activity of the food-gathering business. Mouse eventually encounters a man in the woods, and she eventually grows trustful enough to eat a piece of cheese from his hand. She is enchanted by the music she hears when he blows through a tube with holes in it. "The fox, the owl, the weasel, the hawk were still a part of Mouse's days and nights, but now she had the music as well and it could not be taken from her." By the end of the book as winter approaches, Mouse finds a new home territory, away from the man and his flute. She also finds a song of her own and soon sings "from the center of her being." A brief foreword tells the reader that this storyline was inspired by the mouse episode in Thoreau's "Walden." Otherwise, the text is blissfully unmarked by reminders, thus allowing the reader (child or parent) to choose whether or not to make the connection. Either way, it's a good story. As for whether or not mice actually sing -- well, you'll have to make that decision on your own. At least two children's books have focused on this small tale from "Walden." "The Mouse and the Song" is more subtle in its approach than "Little Mouse" by Bill Montague, and I like this one better for being so. It's more about Mouse than about Henry, and that's OK. It honors both.