[I received a review copy of this book from the publisher.  No other compensation was received.]

Jimey (rhymes with Eye Me!) the Woodpile Mouse is a beautiful, kind, and one of the most reassuring stories I’ve ever read. It is so well done that it stays with you long after you’ve read it, quietly reminding you not to worry because everything is going to be okay.

My eldest son adores Jimey and we’ve read it a countless number of times.  It is a family favorite and one that I’m always up for reading!

Title: Jimey the Woodpile Mouse (Links to the free ebook, resources, and games.)
Written and Illustrated By: Elar Ericsson
Published By: Pine Alley Press, 2014, Fiction. 48 pages. ISBN:978-0990353904.
Suitable For Ages: 2 – 10+

Themes/Topics: friendship, worry

Opening: “Jimey was a woodpile mouse.  He lived in the woodpile outside of Farmer Karson’s farmhouse.  He made a cozy nest between the logs and lived there all year long.  Jimey loved his woodpile.”

Brief Synopsis: 

Jimey loves the woodpile where he lives.  It is so cozy and gives him everything he needs — it keeps him dry when it rains, warm when it is cold, and safe from Farmer Karson’s cat, Kloee.

However, as the weather gets colder, the woodpile starts to shrink!  That’s when Jimey’s worries start, too.  What is he going to do when the woodpile is gone?  Certainly Kloee the cat will catch him!

The night before the woodpile is set to run out of wood, Jimey cannot (understandably) sleep!  All he can do is worry!

But to his great surprise, when he wakes up the next morning to a rumbling and crashing sound, Jimey finds that his woodpile isn’t gone — but it is larger than ever!

How can this be?  Who is looking out for him?  The answer is truly delightful!

Links To Resources: 

• ASPCA’s Link to How to Care for a Mouse
• Psychology Today’s Tips for How to Calm an Anxious and Stressed Child
• Pick the Brain has 12 Techniques for How to Stop Worrying

Why I Like This Book: 

• The art alone is disarming and enchanting.  The brightly colored, digitally impressionistic landscapes juxtaposed with black and white mouse and cat are inviting, invigorating, and instantaneously accessible to even the youngest readers.
• I didn’t realize that there was a cure for worry — and the prescription is to read this book, as needed, to assuage young and old worriers alike.  I love, love, love this book.
• Jimey the Woodpile Mouse is as sweet as a deep breath in a frantic moment that leaves you smiling, grounded, and reminded that there are wonderful, incredible people in this world doing lots of amazing things to help make the world a better place.
• At the end of the hardcover edition there is a game.  You look at the pictures with single words written underneath, and then you go back through the book and find those pictures.  It is a fun seek and find exercise.
• This book is so happy!  It lets you become Jimey the mouse and live his life.  You have his same joys and share in his same worries.  Then you get to experience the joy when he finds out that everything is going to be alright.
• To quote one of my wise and learned heroes, LeVar Burton, “But you don’t have to take my word for it.” you can read Jimey the Woodpile Mouse online right now for free. 

Where to Get it:

• [Affiliate Link] Amazon.com
• [Independent Bookstore] Indiebound.org
• [Library] Woldcat.org — ask your library to order it!
• [Online] You can read the whole book for free.

Where Obtained:  I received a review copy from the publisher. No other compensation was received.  I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

FTC Disclosures:  Some of the links in the post above are Amazon affiliate links and others are IndieBound affiliate links. If you click on the link and purchase something, I will receive an affiliate commission at no additional cost to you. Which goes to fund my family’s picture book habit.  It’s a vicious cycle, but we manage.  I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”