Well hellooooooo there! (said in my best upper crust Queen of England accent) Let's have a little tea time/ story time with Jan Brett, a warm cuppa, and some delicious blueberry scones.
This is the story of a mouse husband and wife who live in the country and are tired of all of the hard work and the dangerous barn owls. Surely the city is an easier place to live. This is also the story of a mouse husband and wife who live in the city and are tired of all of the hard work and the dangerous house cat. Surely the country is a more carefree place to live. When they swap places, they find that sometimes there is no place like home.
Jan Brett usually sets her stories in a specific country, and she has set this classic tale in the English countryside. Her attention to the detail when it comes to staying true to the chosen location's culture is really special. Here all of the country animals have tweeds and hunting attire, and the city animals are dressed in silk stockings and brocade vests. Brett's ability to illustrate a story is unparalleled. Her pages are very detailed and are the kind of pages a reader can find something new every time they read.
This book would be a wonderful pairing with tea and traditional tea time snacks. Slice cucumbers and put on toast squares with a little cream cheese. Purchase a few petit fours from your local bakery, or try this recipe for blueberry scones from one of my favorite blogs for healthy and delicious, family-friendly food, 100 Days of Real Food.