“Inside my house there is a mouse...Outside my house, there is a mouse....” Creating a successful book with a dual storyline for very young children can be a challenge, but Lindsay Barrett George has done a masterful job in this highly appealing picture book. The reader describes two mice—one who lives outside, one who lives inside—and chronicles their parallel journey on the facing pages of each page spread. (“The mouse ran down the wall...The mouse ran down the stump....”) The two stories arrive at a single, satisfying conclusion when the two mice meet: “Hello!” George’s rich visual images are detailed without being complicated and perfectly offset the simple, straightforward story(ies). (Ages 2–5)

Once there was
an inside mouse and
an outside mouse.
One day they both
went on a trip. They
traveled up, down,
across, around,
through, between,
behind, over, and under,
until they finally met
in the middle.
Hello!

Are they old friends?
Or new friends?
Did they just meet
today?
Or do they visit
every day?
And what do you think
might happen next
to the inside mouse
and the outside mouse?