School Library Journal
K-Gr 2
Library Mouse (Abrams, 2007) introduced shy, library-dwelling Sam, who writes and illustrates books that he leaves for Mrs. Forrester and the children to read. This pleasant sequel features a bashful boy named Tom, who is a member of the Writers and Illustrators Club. He discovers that the mysterious author is a mouse and leaves him treats in an effort to make friends. Sam is able to bypass the cheese and crackers, but when he finds the story Tom wrote, he cannot resist. When the club meets again, Mrs. Forrester finds a new book written by Tom and illustrated by Sam, featuring two friends drawn as mice. When asked to identify his collaborator, Tom keeps his new friend's secret. Kirk's anthropomorphic mouse lives in a realistic-looking library, and his drawings of the librarian and children are incredibly lifelike. Tom's facial expressions and body language aptly convey his shyness and concern about Sam. The illustrations alternate between full-bleed drawings and spotlight cameos, and the perspective changes to show the story from of the points of view of the two main characters. This charming selection deserves a place in most collections.-Martha Simpson, Stratford Library Association, CT
Kirkus Reviews
Mouse becomes muse. Late at night when the library is closed, Sam the mouse, an enthusiastic reader and writer, sneaks out of his comfy hole to take advantage of the library's resources, leaving the books he writes behind. One morning, Sam works all night and falls asleep at a table, waking up just in time to avoid an elementary-school writing club. In his haste to escape, however, he leaves behind his notebook. Young Tom discovers it and takes it to the librarian, who suggests he leave it for Sam to find later. Tom has another idea, deciding to find Sam. He leaves cheese and a story he's written called "The Shy One" by Sam's mousehole. In no time flat, the duo is collaborating, with Sam doing the illustrations. And Tom's text gives Sam an idea for another book. Kirk's substantial text suits early grades. While his illustrations hold little artistic nuance, they do incorporate well-known titles by other author-illustrator duos, and children will enjoy spotting such favorites as Goodnight Moon and Miss Nelson Is Back. In all, a solid nudge to budding writers. (Picture book. 6-9)
OCTOBER 2009 - AudioFile
In the sequel to LIBRARY MOUSE, Chris Sorensen recounts Tom's unusual friendship with Sam, the reclusive library mouse and petite author. Sorensen's even, welcoming delivery moves at a suitable pace for young listeners to follow. Without Kirk's illustrations, however, Sorensen's narration faces an uphill battle to bring the story to life. Constrained by the short text of the picture-book form, Sorensen isn't given much detail with which to create lifelike characters, and he is unable to convey the parts of the story that are given only in the pictures themselves. While Sorensen presents this unadorned tale with admirable warmth, in the end, it lacks spark. One might consider purchasing the printed book to look at while listening to the audio. C.A. © AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine
