A Day With Mousse

Mousse lives in a sweet little cottage by the sea. Each day, Mousse takes a stroll on the beach and swims in the cool seawater. Later, as the tide rolls into his cottage, and when it is gone, Mousse collects the treasures the sea has left for him. He has quite a business listing his treasures online and selling them to people all over. But this day, when Mousse returns from collecting, he finds a visitor, a walrus named Barnacle, in his chair eating one of his cookies! Then Barnacle becomes ill. Mousse, a kind creature, cares for Barnacle until he is well enough to leave, and Mousse can return to his solitary life. Until he gets a big surprise.

Claire Lebourg is both author and illustrator of this chapter book (translated by Sophie Lewis), the first in a series about Mousse, a creature who looks like a combination of a mole and a striped sock. The story is silly and sweet and yet compelling for emerging readers. The illustrations are so much fun and complete the story perfectly. Youngsters learning to be independent readers will love this book and series.