by Ruth Ainsworth
Illustrator: Jean Winslow
Genre: Fantasy / (not AR)
Roland, called Roly, is a small, brown mouse that lives in the train station with the rest of his family. They must scrounge for crumbs and keep quick watch out for multiple dangers, including a one-eyed cat, spring traps, and poisened sandwiches. Until, one day... the mice manage to scare away all the unsympathetic station workers who are replaced with a kindly sibling pair that somehow don't mind mice. The talking animals are one reason this book is considered a fantasy, but I find the friendly relationship between the brother and sister and the mice much more difficult to believe!
The black and white drawings are worth a closer examination. There is so much detail drawn in to these otherwise simple images. I can definitely see myself using them to teach students about the importance of light, shadows, and dimensions in drawing.
