Mouse in the Manger

Anne Hutchings is a teacher-librarian in Ajax, Ontario.

Mouse must find a new, safe home (and quickly), but in the shed she
finds there seems to be “no room in the inn” even with her own kind.
Tired and hungry, she finds one last box—a box filled with Christmas
decorations. There she builds her nest and there her baby is born.

The box and its contents are taken into the warm, fragrant house. Mouse
and Little Mouse, frightened by the strange noises, run from their home
and hide. They watch as the box is unpacked revealing a felt Advent
calendar full of holes, figures of the Holy family, and, finally, the
crиche itself. “What a mess,” says one child. “No, a nest,”
says another. But the third, placing the figure of the Christ child in
the nest says, “A miracle!” And Mouse and Little Mouse agree—the
miracle of Christmas.

Mouse in the Manger is surely destined to become a modern Christmas
classic, one of those rare stories that are enjoyed by young and old
year after year. Elaine Blier’s illustrations beautifully capture the
hazy chill of a winter’s night, the gloom of the shed, and the
cheerful, welcoming warmth of the house. Her use of border illustrations
to elaborate on and complement the main ones is distinctive and
effective.

Highly recommended for preschool and primary-grade children.