LitPick Review
Housie Mousie and his companion, Ratty, decide they want to be part of the big competition known as The Big Cheese Race set in the Cotswolds region of England. This competition has people traveling from all over to take part in this fun race to see who will win. The only problem is they don’t know how they will get to the competition and if they even have a chance to win the ultimate prize, which is The Huge Cheese Ball. Putting their brains together, they come up with ingenious resources in order for them to create a makeshift boat and paddle to get to the competition. Along the way, they join forces with the local beavers and even a dog to ensure they will get to the competition in a timely fashion. Do Housie and Ratty have a chance at winning the huge prize offered? What happens during the competition that Housie and Ratty try foiling? Are they successful?
Opinion:
My first impression of this story by Ms. Suzy Davies was how adorable the characters really were. We travel along with Housie and Ratty the entire story, but it’s in their interactions with the different beavers and even a large dog that show how teamwork really does make a difference in trying to accomplish a set goal. I loved how each animal had their own unique personality and qualities about them that added to the joy of seeing how if you put your mind to something, you can achieve great things working together. Another thing I really want to mention was how I loved the sense of adventure the animals shared in while seeing how friendships strengthened when they all worked together as a team. I feel this was a great lesson to teach children of any age who read this story. I feel there aren’t enough stories available to teach children how to develop strong relationships with people or animals while also working hard together to achieve a common goal. This story definitely succeeded in teaching both lessons to children. I feel because of this, it would make this book one that parents will eagerly want their children to read and learn from while the children aren’t even realizing they are learning in the first place. Plus, toward the end of the book it was mentioned that all the animals remained friends long after the race was over, which is a great lesson in teaching children that friendships are something to work on and strengthen throughout the years. Even though this story was based mainly around animals, I feel that children will easily be able to interchange the characters to be people in their lives.
The illustrations provided by Ms. Helen Geiger were fun to look at and added to the overall enjoyment of the story. While I looked at the illustrations, they allowed me to actually become an integral part of the storyline while all the characters told me their version of the story. I felt I was right next to Housie and Ratty while they were on the makeshift boat, or how I was right next to the different beavers helping to break up barriers holding Housie and Ratty’s little boat up while they traveled along to get to the competition. I was even running next to Housie the whole competition route cheering her on hoping she would win the race. I felt the illustrations were the perfect accompaniment to telling the story to the readers.
Overall, I really enjoyed Housie Mousie and The Big Cheese and would highly recommend it to parents, teachers, and caregivers to enjoy with the children in their lives. It has a reading age range of 9-12 years, and I think this is the perfect fit for children in that age range. Well done, Ms. Davies!
