A New Pet by Gabriel Evans

Woodlands Whiskers series. Five Mile Press, 2014. ISBN 9781760061005
Recommended. 'Please clean your bedroom,' said Mum. But the little mice didn't want to tidy today.
Just like the first book in the Woodlands Whiskers Lift a Flap series, A New Pet is a beautifully drawn short story that evokes memories of the Peter Rabbit books I was read as a child. It has a delicate way of presenting the story and characters in both text and pictures. Questions can immediately be asked by a child reader as to which mouse is which and the flowing text slowly answers the inquisitive mind.
Along the way a young reader is also drawn to each page by the little lift the flap pop out windows that they must open to find out what is hidden behind. Most depict what is happening in the text but a pretty little lady bug also draws the imagination.
A New Pet is a book that is perfect to read with a child just before they go to sleep. It offers a story and interaction that provokes conversation while delivering a sweet little story about a quiet mouse family and a situation that imitates a real life situation that many children and their families go through. In a time where books are getting increasingly louder and brighter it is lovely to see a book series that is simple and quiet in delivery.
Steve Whitehead