Constantly pestered by his many younger siblings, Oscar the mouse decides to seek out a peaceful place where he can get some sleep in this picture-book from Scottish author Moira Miller and expatriate Polish illustrator Maria Majewska. After trying a number of places that prove less than ideal - an owl's nest in the attic rafters, a soft pillow in a human bed, a cluster of stuffed animals - Oscar finally discovers what he is looking for in an old, abandoned tin inside a cupboard...

Published in 1985, Oscar Mouse Finds a Home is a book I sought out largely because I was curious to see more of Miller's work, after enjoying some of her beginning chapter-books. That said, I ended up enjoying Majewska's detailed, richly-colored illustrations more than the story, which was engaging enough, but also made me rather uncomfortable. No doubt children will only see the quest for a cozy sleeping place here, but the adult in me couldn't stop imagining mice running over me as I slept, especially in the scene in which Oscar attempts to make his bed on a pillow, and it was not a pleasant sensation. This reaction was unexpected, as I often find mouse stories charming. It wasn't totally unprecedented however, as I had a similarly involuntary feeling of revulsion, reading Pam Muñoz Ryan's Mice and Beans, which features a mouse infestation in a kitchen. Perhaps the lesson here, at least for me, is that mice are charming when off in their own societies, but less appealing when in my house?

Whatever the case may be, this is a sweet picture-book, and is one I would recommend to those seeking picture-books about the need to get away from one's larger family, or featuring beautiful illustrations. ( )

A sweet and lovely story about being content, loving family and growing up. All with beautiful pictures of mice. ( )