Simon & Company:
Flea Market Mice

Mary H Wright (Author); Deborah K Frontiera (Author); Korey Scott (Illustrator)

Average Rating 9/10 (1 Review)

Simon Mouse wants adventure-any kind of adventure. But he gets more than he had in mind when he falls out of the back end of a moving van. He finds a "new family" with a colony of mice who live above the snack shop of a flea market. But there are dangers as well as fun at the flea market. The mice have plenty of food, but must dodge cats, dogs and owls to get it. Through it all, he wonders if he will ever find his parents again.

Review by Molly Martin (280217) Rating (9/10)

Review by Molly Martin
Book Source: Not Known
Rating 9/10
Simon Mouse lives alone in the Anderson’s blue sofa with his parents Morris and Irma. Each of his siblings said their goodbyes and left some time back. Mom and Dad Mouse are single-minded in their desire to hang on to their remaining child.

Adolescent Simon Mouse craves something more; he wants adventure. Simon’s parents teach him about birds and cats and other dangers should he be seen by people. One day Simon is overjoyed to find out that he and his parents will be moving with their people. The Anderson’s will be leaving for Florida where the winters are nice and warm.

The mice quickly began stocking up on every morsel of food they could locate. They carefully hid their supplies in the stuffing in the Anderson’s big blue sofa. At last moving day arrived. Living in the sofa as it is transported in a big moving truck during the trip to Florida is a bit of a disappointment for Simon who has been wanting adventure. His parents allow him to spend a little time out of the sofa.All he can see is boxes until the day comes that he tumbles through small crack near the bottom of the moving van door.

Luckily Simon landed in soft weeds at the edge of the road. Terrified Simon squeaks and tries to get back up to the door. His parents did not hear his desperate squeaks over the sound of the truck motor. Sadly Simon watched the van driving away. Simon ached all over. He is alone, in a strange place and knows he cannot move around during daylight. He slept all day under a tuft of grass. The sun was going down as Simon began making his way carefully. Dad had told him about birds that swoop down to snatch mice to eat. Simon was terrified. Simon tried to remember and put into practice all the teaching his parents had given him about birds in the sky that might dive down to snatch him up.

He noticed a group of buildings; crouching low in the grass Simon set out for the buildings. Panic filled him as Simon noticed a shadow moving nearby. Simon was fortunate; he reached a building and dashed through a crack in the wall just as THUD the thing with the shadow smacked the wall.

From that commencement Simon is propelled into a new world. Simon has arrived at a flea market where he makes mice friends, learns to steer clear of the peril in this new place, and takes his place in the flea market mouse community as a working member of the colony.

People only come to the flea market on the weekends, and they drop lots of food on the ground. Simon becomes a member of the food gathering group. And, he learns an essential safety lesson; do not nibble stuff that looks like food but is left by pest control people. Pest control leaves poison stuff to kill mice. Another lesson learned, people will call pest control if they see mice. The rule is stay silent and out of sight while people are in the flea market.

Simon likes his new life and new friends. But, he really misses his parents. Simon was jubilant one day when he overheard people talking; a man said he had bought a sofa from people named Anderson. The man said he didn’t have room in his truck for the sofa this trip, but would be bringing it next time he came to the flea market. Was it possible his parents were still in the sofa?

The account continues as Simon and his new friends continue their foraging for food, coaching new colony members about the dangers and how to be safe, developing an imaginative plan for getting lots of food, at one time, from the ground and up to attic where the colony lived. During an evening foraging trip Simon has a close call with a cat; by chance one of the colony members used to live with a doctor. ‘Doc’ soon arrives to help and concoct really icky tasting medicine for Simon.

Days become weeks, Simon convalesces and still no blue sofa until one day when his friends Slick and his sister Annabelle notice a blue sofa in one of the stalls. The chronicle ends with a happy reunion.

I found Simon & Company to be a pleasure to read. This sturdy, well made tome featuring a multi-coloured cover crafted of robust, heavy duty paper having a glossy surface should stand up many readings and even sticky little fingers. I was able to gently wipe down the surface without causing damage using a moistened cloth and a handy wipe.

I particularly like the size of the paperback; it is one I would use were I still in the classroom. Pages are firmly glued; I read the book, and turned pages including bending covers and book as little readers often do over a period of a number of days. Not a page came loose. The book is likely to stand up to classroom usage without problem. I taught K – 1 for the better part of 4 decades and would have no problem using Simon & Company: Flea Market Mice in a primary level classroom.

My Osage County OK school encouraged older students reading to and with the younger readers. Simon & Company would be dandy used in such a program.

Simon & Company; Flea Market Mice is a beginning Chapter Book, I would use it for reading a chapter a day with primary grades, for daily DEAR reading choice and for allowing emergent readers to take the book home to read with family. Vocabulary used is such that most grades 2 – 4 readers will be able to take the book to read to Kindergarten or First Grade students during mentoring time.

An admirable work, I will be keeping this book; I do not keep all books I receive for review. However, I plan to embark on a ‘reading lady’ time in nearby school when the new term begins. I feel certain Simon & Company; Flea Market Mice will be well liked by students as I read aloud to them. The narrative lends itself well for ‘what would you do’ type discussion following daily chapter reading.

Happy to recommend Simon & Company: Flea Market Mice for students K – 4.

Simon & Company: Flea Market Mice will be a fine addition to school and public library collections, classroom and home book shelf, and as a gift for a special Emergent Reader.

Illustrations by Korey Scott lend much to the book, are black and white line type drawings and show Simon and some of his friends in daily life situations. If I were gifting an Emergent Reader I would add a pack of coloured pencils so the Little Reader could colour the pages.
Molly Martin (28th February 2017)