Alexander the Great

Bos and de Beer, the creators of Ollie the Elephant, team up for a tale about a mouse with high hopes. Alexander wishes more than anything that he could be as brave as his favorite superhero, a bear named Mighty Bruno. ""Mice should be cautious--not bold and daring,"" counsels his worried mother. Father Mouse has been too terrified to venture upstairs in search of food since he lost his tail in a run-in with Rats, the household cat. But when supplies dwindle to nothing, Alexander takes matters into his own paws. He crafts a bear costume modeled after his idol, and thus begins a double life. Some readers may have trouble believing that Rats, after catching the hero in the act of pilfering some cheese, adopts him as one of her own kittens. But the illustrations of Alexander's diminutive household will launch readers' imaginations. One painting shows a miniature village beneath the kitchen floor, with tiny houses, tables and chairs--even a light fixture that extends from a high beam. And vignettes of Alexander sewing his bear disguise and cavorting about the house in his costume will draw many chuckles. Ages 5-8. (Nov.)