Summer reading that the family left at my house. Not doing anything new, either in terms of art or story, I'm afraid. ( )

Cute story, and the illustrations are fantastic, with little Anglican touches. ( )

If you've ever heard the phrase "poor as church mice," and wondered just what it is those impoverished rodents get up to in churches, then look no further. The first in a series of picture books devoted to the adventures of a group of mice who live in an English church (as well as their cat companion), The Church Mouse follows the story of Arthur, whose peaceful life in a small-town church is considerably enlivened when he invites the local mouse population to take up residence.

When Sampson the Church Cat, who "had listened to so many sermons about the meek being blessed and everybody really being brothers that he had grown quite frighteningly meek and treated Arthur just like a brother," forgets that he is "reformed," and causes an incident during worship, it looks like all the animals will have to go. But a late-night incident involving some very fishy goings-on gives Arthur, Sampson, and the Church Mice a chance to redeem themselves...

An engaging and humorous storyline, paired with Oakley's detailed, charming illustrations, make The Church Mouse an ideal selection for young children, whether they attend Sunday School or no. While I wouldn't describe this as one of the more stunning picture-books I have recently encountered, I was entertained, and will be looking for the next in the series. Of course, those who suffer from murophobia will want to avoid this title, as there are numerous pictures involving swarms of mice. ( )

A lonely mouse living in a church with only a friendly, sleepy cat for company devises a plan to get all the mice in town to move in with him.