The School Mouse by Dick King-Smith, Cynthia Fisher (Illustrator)

From the Publisher

Everyone has heard of house mice and field mice and church mice. But Flora is determined to become the first-ever school mouse.

Being the first anything is hard, and Flora quickly discovers that being the first school mouse is no exception.  When she learns to read, no one - her parents in particular - can see the use in it.  She must convince them reading is tremendously important - especially after she finds a bag marked POISON.

Children's Literature

This is King-Smith's latest book. It is the tale of Flora, the first ever 'school mouse,' who learns to read and tries to convince her family of its value. It is she who discovers the bag marked POISON. 1997 (orig.

School Library Journal

K-Gr 4Charming and satisfying, this story should appeal to many small folks moving from easy readers to chapter books. From a rumpled, rather inept father mouse and a very sharp mother mouse whose efficiency is a bit abrasive to our heroine Flora, each tiny character is engaging. Flora decides early in life to take advantage of her environment. From a safe hiding spot in her first-grade classroom home, she learns to read along with the children. When her siblings go off to make their way in the world, she continues her education. Her acquired skills allow her to warn her family when poison is placed in the school after a careless brother leaves mouse droppings on the head mistress's class register. She meets a handsome white mouse, survives a suitable number of harrowing experiences, and saves her family yet again after they move to an unsafe haystack. Fisher's black-and-white sketches aptly capture the characters' essential mouseness while illuminating their slightly anthropomorphic individuality. King-Smith's many fans, and those brought to the shelves by the movie Babe, won't be disappointed by this well-crafted tale.Jody McCoy, Casady School, Oklahoma City

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