In a sort of This Old House
for the picture-book set, Muller (The Angel Tree) demonstrates that, indeed, there's no place like home. Badger's cozy cottage has its flaws—the door sticks, the roof leaks, etc.—but Badger overlooks them until a storm wreaks havoc. Declaring that he can't fix the damage, the waistcoat-wearing Badger finds himself a baronial mansion ("Now this is a house!"). His old place looks "so empty and sad" that Badger decides to advertise for a new resident for it, and in moves Grandmother Mouse, confident that "someone" will perform the necessary repairs. Uncomfortable in his imposing home, it is Badger who fixes the cottage's sticky door, glues the shutters in place, and so on; a clever ending rewards Badger for his hard work (and Grandmother for her guile). The illustrations suggest an English yesteryear, with characters sporting an elaborately quaint combination of Victorian and Edwardian fashions. Muller heaps on the visual details, especially in the cottage decor. Ages 4-7. (May)
