cover image Milly's Wedding

Milly's Wedding

Kate Summers. Dutton Books, $15.99 (32pp) ISBN 978-0-525-46046-6

Romance is in the air as Milly finds the mouse of her dreams in this fetching sequel to Milly and Tilly. When town mouse Milly meets Tom Brown mouse one moonlit evening by the canal, ""They looked. They blinked. And fell in love."" Soon the pair are up to their whiskers in wedding plans. While houseboat-dweller Tom, a ""handy mouse, clever with his paws at carpentry and plumbing,"" remodels the cupboard where the two will make their home, Milly busies herself with a trip to the country to see her best friend, Tilly, who agrees to be maid of honor and offers to make the wedding dress. The author tucks in a diverting subplot about a lost wedding ring, and lavishes her confection with layers of detail, from a bridal carriage pulled by stag beetles to the mother of the bride, ""dressed in green, with satin shoes to match."" Clever touches abound in Kneen's watercolor vignettes, from the goldfish wallpaper border in Tom's bathroom to the elaborate wedding cake (cheesecake, of course) topped with a pair of bridal mice. The wedding itself is a flower-dappled affair, and Milly is resplendent in a rose-petal dress--the same delicate shade as her ears. A tonic for romantics of every age. Ages 3-6. (Jan.)