Living the Bookish Dream: Library Mouse by Daniel Kirk

Hi everyone!

Welcome back to another day here at Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers!

Today we are looking at a light hearted "tail", I mean tale of one bookish little mouse and the place he called home.  Are you ready?  (No seriously...sit down those of you that get faint from bookish delight, this one is a doosey!) 

Library Mouse

by

Daniel Kirk

Sam is just like me and you.  He has a thirst for knowledge, a curious mind, and a love of the written word (hmm, sounds like a lot of the bloggers I know).  The best part?  He lives in a LIBRARY! (I'll pause a moment here so that those of you that fainted can collect yourselves again before continuing....fell better?  Might I recommend a cold compress or some rapid fanning....moving on...) The worst part?  (I know what you're thinking....how can there be a "worst" part?  He lives in a library!  Trust me here it comes...)  He is a mouse.  It's not bad in and of itself, I mean you are who you are....it's more an unfavorable trait when you wish to explore the library books and know that the sight of you is going to create havoc.  Sam is not an under achiever in any way though, and devises a way around this obstacle.  He has full reign of the library after dark, so once the lights go out, the light in his furry little mind burns brighter than ever as he devours (not literally this time, just figuratively) the many genres set before him.  Children's Literature, Biographies, Mysteries, Fantasy....anything and everything was available for him to peruse. (You must stop hyperventilating or you'll never make it to the end of the review...)

After reading so many wonderful tales, Sam's creative energy began to transform from that of solely a reader to the split persona of reader and WRITER.  **A LITTLE SPOILER-ISH STUFF FOLLOWS BUT THE ENDING REMAINS A MYSTERY** To satisfy this urge, he begins to pen stories of his own....Squeak!  A Mouse's Life....The Lonely Cheese.....The Mystery of Mouse Mansion....just to name a few. He would staple them into little books and place them on the shelves (in the appropriate section too!  Hey, this mouse can visit our local store here any day....) where they were discovered the following morning by curious young readers and the librarian.  Each time a new one was discovered, the readers were delighted but alas, they wanted to know who this mystery author was!  To celebrate their mysterious friend, they invited them to a "Meet the Author" day event they were planning the following week.  As you may imagine, Sam was thrilled by this development, but how could he possibly attend such an event without creating mayhem?  He had to think of a way to reveal the author behind the books that were inspiring these young readers to try new genres without revealing his true form...*think*think*think*.  No worries, Sam is a well learned little mouse....just wait and see what solution he came up with.... (yes, I'm going to leave you hanging...trust me, it's worth it!)

I picked this book up while wandering through the bookstore a week or so ago purely for the title.  That's right!  I hadn't heard of it nor seen the cover...all I saw was the spine and the title and thought this looks like a cute book indeed!  (Perhaps the "indeed" was left off in my mind, but it definitely caught my eye.)  I mean how many times have you thought about making a library your home?  Besides the obvious draw of an unlimited supply of books to read, there are so many fascinating designs out there that nary a day goes by when I don't see a new picture of something amazingly bookish to behold.  Combine that love of books with beautiful illustrations and a story that is truly inspiring even in this basic storybook/picture book style form for readers of all ages....and in my humble opinion, you have a winner.

Recommended reading for younger readers or those merely young at heart.....you never out grow a love of reading.  It's one of those past times that is good for everyone from the tall to the small (~waves at picture of Sam~). 

Until next time....happy reading!