Jonathan and his mouse friend, who first appeared in The House Mouse, return in this picture-book from Canadian author Dorothy Joan Harris and American illustrator Chris Conover. Jonathan, who is now six, has started school, and he isn't sure that he likes it. Worried and anxious, he has difficulty making friends, and isn't sure he'll ever get used to the school-day routine. Then the mouse who visited him when he was four reappears, and becomes fascinated by his wind-up toy jeep. After a number of nighttime play sessions, the mouse demands a longer ride, and Jonathan takes him to school as part of his Show-and-Tell contribution. Here, enjoying the much longer hallways, the mouse decides to stay...

Published in 1977, The School Mouse is a book I sought out for the illustrations, as I am currently exploring the work of illustrator Chris Conover. I didn't realize that it was the second story about these character, and that the first - the aforementioned The House Mouse - was illustrated by Barbara Cooney. I will definitely have to seek out that earlier book, as well as the third title, The School Mouse and the Hamster. The story here was engaging, sensitively exploring a first grader's mixed feelings about starting school. The adventure with the mouse allows Jonathan to make friends and feel more comfortable in his new environment. As expected, the artwork is lovely, alternating between two-page spreads with black-and-white illustrations, and spreads with color illustrations. This is very text-heavy for a picture-book, so I'd recommend it to older picture-book audiences, particularly those feeling ambivalent about going to school for the first time. ( )