Snug and Serena go to town illustrated by Katherine Wigglesworth

A Little Brown Mouse book by Alison Uttley

"Serena" cried Snug one day, as the two little field mice sat in a meadow, sunning their bright fur, and looking at the blue sky. "Serena, I've been thinking". "And what have you thought?" asked Serena, turning round from her perch on a dandelion flower and looking at her brother. "I've been thinking I would like to go and see Mrs. Town Mouse" said Snug.

So starts the story of Snug and Serena’s trip to town.

Mrs Town Mouse is surprised to find Snug and Serena at her door but being a kind-hearted mouse she invites them in and agrees they can stay for a while. She tells them there are a few rules that must be obeyed while living in a town house. First they must stay indoors till dark, they must watch out for the cats and the human beings; and they must never ever touch a mouse trap. 

“But where can we drink the dew and nibble flowers and play with the other field mice?” Asks Serena “Not here”, says the Town Mouse. “We have other joys. You shall dance on velvet carpets and frisk on cushions and lick a silver spoon and sleep in a fur coat, and hear music, too”.

Snug and Serena like all the fine things Mrs Town Mouse tells them about and decide to stay. But everything changes when Mrs Town Mouse introduces them to her thirteen new babies! From that moment on Snug and Serena feel more like slaves than house guests. “I didn't come here to be a nursemaid” grumbles Snug, as he tidies the passage and sweeps away the spiders. That night when Mr. and Mrs. Town Mouse are sleeping, Snug and Serena decide to return to the country.

They run towards home and on the way meet Mr. Toad walking with his head bent and his shoulders sagging. "Oh, Mr. Toad!" cry Snug and Serena. "Oh, my dear little Serena and Snug!" cried old Toad sobbing and wiping his eyes. "How good it is to see you I thought you had gone forever". 

Do you have a favourite book by Alison Uttley or one you would like me to feature?

Update July 2016: The featured book is now sold. March House books closed on my retirement in 2015, but I am still happily blogging here at March of Time Books. Your visits are always appreciated.