A Mouse Family Christmas
by Deborah Underwood; illus. by Leah Hong
Primary    Little, Brown    40 pp.
10/24    9780316467186    $18.99

In search of the Christmas spirit, young mouse Hugo sneaks downstairs on Christmas Eve to see the tree decorated by their house’s human resident, William. But it hasn’t been, because a snowstorm has left the elderly man alone for Christmas. William catches but releases Hugo, who enlists his own large family’s help in secretly decorating William’s tree, and then they all celebrate together. Underwood’s traditional story requires extra suspension of disbelief regarding the human-mouse interactions, but its focus on simple acts of kindness is entirely fitting for the holiday. Hong’s detailed gouache and colored-pencil illustrations on watercolor paper depict heartwarming scenes of clothed mice engaging in domestic activities.

From the ">November/December 2024 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.