BERNELLY & HARRIET: The Country Mouse and the City Mouse

In this perky twist on a favorite tale, two mouse cousins appreciate that there's no place like home after spending time on each other's turf. Country mouse Bernelly likes nothing better than teaching fly-fishing in the nearby river in the good weather and tying beautiful flies in her cottage through the winter. City mouse Harriet paints in her apartment/studio in between dining out, exploring parks and museums, and enjoying the ballet. The two mice eventually cross paths when Bernelly's need for a new pair of boots prompts a shopping trip to the city (and a visit to Harriet). After a busy week of sightseeing, Bernelly longs for home. ("It is just too crowded and noisy here," she says of the city). Harriet, curious to experience the joys of country living, accompanies Bernelly on the trip back. But finding the riverbank too quiet, Harriet is soon eager to return to "the noise, the smells, the shopping!" of Boston. Dahlie's (Henrietta) text clicks along, peppered with plenty of humorous, contemporary details. The expressions on each of the heroine's faces convey the evidence of these fish out of water, whether Bernelly's discomfort as she tries on a pair of red high-heel shoes while searching for her boots or Harriet's ennui as she listens to "tales of trout" at her cousin's dinner party. Her gouache paintings—a cross between Petra Mathers and Kevin Henkes—capture the best of both mouse worlds and convey the gentle joviality and affection of the story. Ages 4-8. (Apr.)