A Big Day for Migs!

The endpapers show us Migs with six friends, all happily involved in different activities, all having FUN! But Migs, the small brown mouse, is reluctant to leave his Mum and start school. Miss Doodle, (a poodle, dressed in colours reminiscent of Rupert Bear) settles everyone with an activity, but Migs hides behind the dressing-up unit, wishing he were not so shy. Donning a hat, boots and a long green cloak, he finds a new identity as he looks in the mirror and declares he is Mighty Mouse, as strong as any bear, not a shy mouse any more. He creates havoc as he careers around the room, smashing up and disrupting everyone else’s games. The combination of his speed and the long cloak result in several of the other animals becoming quite upset. The resolution is beautifully handled, Migs’s first attempts to put things right failing woefully. But then Migs tells Miss Doodle his idea to make everyone feel better, and they all work together to achieve just that. What a feeling of warmth and co-operation oozes from this book, as Migs says, waving goodbye to his new friends, ‘Mum, if it’s okay, can I go back there every day?’ The illustrations are perfect, the author/illustrator empathising so well with all her characters. She adds much detail, down to a little mole nodding off in story time, as we see parents outside waiting to collect their little ones. The handling of Migs when he becomes Mighty Migs and creates havoc is sensitive, and the transition from individual play to full co-operation of the group in a joint activity is an example of the best early years practice. A wonderful book, told in rhyme, and one which will reassure those starting school as well as those already attending.