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A lonely mouse lived in a small house beside a great palace. In the great palace lived a cat.
About the author
JOHN SOBOL is an author, musician and poet who has performed at festivals and clubs in a dozen countries. His first picture book,
Friend or Foe (illustrated by Dasha Tolstikova), was described in Brain Pickings as "a charming modern-day fable." He has toured an acclaimed one-man show called
Two Million Years of Technology, and he has written many popular TV shows for children, including
Pippi Longstocking and
Under the Umbrella Tree. John is a father and a feminist. He lives in Ottawa.
Summary
A lonely mouse gazes up at the cat in the palace tower next door. Determined to find out if he is a friend, he bravely makes his way into the palace …
"A lonely mouse lived in a small house beside a great palace. In the great palace lived a cat."
Each night the mouse gazes up at the cat in the palace tower. Is the cat my friend? he wonders. Determined to find out, he bravely makes his way into the palace through a tiny hole and climbs all the way up to the tower, where the cat sits on the windowsill.
"Hello, are you friend or foe?" he squeaks.
This simple story by John Sobol has a surprising outcome, giving young readers a chance to draw their own conclusions. It is perfectly complemented by Dasha Tolstikova’s subtle yet striking illustrations.
Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.4
Ask and answer questions about unknown words in a text.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.6
With prompting and support, name the author and illustrator of a story and define the role of each in telling the story.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.7
With prompting and support, describe the relationship between illustrations and the story in which they appear (e.g., what moment in a story an illustration depicts).
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.3
Describe characters, settings, and major events in a story, using key details.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.9
Compare and contrast the adventures and experiences of characters in stories.
Additional text
"A quiet, thoughtful narrative for all readers who like to wonder." Kirkus Reviews
"A solid addition for most libraries; hand this one to fans of Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen’s Sam and Dave Dig a Hole." — School Library Journal
"A charming modern-day fable, without a simplistic moral, about what makes for and what undoes the sense of otherness." — Brain Pickings
"Sobol's original and engaging story is perfectly complemented by Dasha Tolstikova's subtle yet striking illustrations. Beautifully produced, exceptionally entertaining." — Midwest Book Review
