Side By Side

Side By Side written by Rachel Bright and illustrated by Debi Gliori (2015)

Little Mouseling lived with her family of mice in the heart of Wintermouse Wood. But when all the other mice ran off to play, Little Mouseling was left all alone. She sang a sad song which was heard by many, but no one was the perfect match for Little Mouseling. She couldn’t swim with Toad Flip; she couldn’t climb with Big Squirrel Brown; she couldn’t fly with Owl Hooty, and she couldn’t stay awake with Batty Fangs. But there was one shy and quiet friend who popped up from the ground, a little black vole. And together Little Mouseling and Little Black Vole sang and danced and played games that you could only play with two.

What makes a good friend? Talk with your preschooler about his/her interests and how those help them make just the right friends. And when meeting someone new, try to find common ground on which to base a friendship. Do you both like super-heros? Do you both like chasing butterflies?

Colored and decorated brown and black, these would make adorable mouse and vole puppets to make with your friend.