I really enjoyed this short story based on an Irish Folk Tale; and I really appreciated the narrator with his Irish accent, giving more authenticity to the book!

Finn wants to 'evict' a couple of mice from his cottage, but nothing has worked...
Until someone tells him that writing them a polite letter explaining that they should consider moving in somewhere else is a sure way to get them to leave.

But "Mr. & Mrs. Mouse" are picky and fussy, and they won't settle for just any place. They want all the comforts, all the amenities and assorted food sources...
No matter how many letters and suggestions Finn writes, they just keep on coming back to Finn's little cottage...

It's almost like that party guest that just won't leave!

It was funny, adventurous and a cozy little story, for both children and adults!

I received a complimentary digital and temporary audiobook copy of "Out, Mouse!" direct from the publisher Whistle Oak Publishing via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.

About the audiobook:

How the story sounded to me as it was being Read: (theatrical or narrative)

I felt this was spoken narrative moreso than theatrical - as it felt like a one man's play where the presentation of the story was beautifully told. I loved how you could settle into the story and enjoy the descriptive narrative you overheard whether you were spending time on the road with the mice or in the cottage with Finn.

Regards to Articulation & Performance of the story:

Articulation:

Ooh! I loved how Collins articulated the story and how he interpreted it as well through his narration. He had a very strong presence throughout the audiobook - wherein, you could tell he enjoyed his time within the story.

Performance:

Finn: I loved the voice used for Finn, as he had a slight inflected accent, but you could tell Collins was tuning into how Finn would present himself to others by how he chose to voice the character. Finn was endearing as a lead character because of how much he truly put his heart into his letters with the mice and how he strove to make wise choices on their behalf - even if half of those choices were a bit misguided as he was not considering their own wishes for their lives, you could tell by how Collins was voicing his character that he was a man of thoughtful kindness. Even if he was a bit overly stressed by living with mice!

Mr and Mrs Mouse: Both of the mice were well-voiced as each of them had their own unique personalities including making the distinction between their genders, even if Mrs Mouse sounded a bit more like a higher pitched Mr Mouse. I was cheekily happy listening to their commentary throughout the story and seeing how their observations about Finn's ideas weren't quite the best to give to mice who simply wanted to raise children and have a generational place to call home with a few comforts of what makes them feel truly settled.

Mr and Mrs Mouse truly stole the story for me! They were so fully developed into their own persons that they were a delight of joy to listen, too. I could tell Collins had fun with their dialogue and with their scenes overall as he shifted between their voices.

In closing, would I seek out another Paul Collins audiobook?

Yes, I would because I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this short story - I would love to see what he can do with longer stories but also different genres of interest in both Children's and Adult Lit. He is a new narrator I want to keep eyes on for new releases and see which stories he narrates next which might interest me to listen too.

About "Out, Mouse!" the book:

I love when a writer can surprise you by how they entertain you and how they wrote to convey the message of their story - especially in Children's Literature with a story like "Out, Mouse!" because it is a bit of a suspension of reality but at the same time, I still have fond memories of being read The Cricket in Times Square in elementary school - so technically speaking, there is a very thin line of illusion and reality when it comes to stories and children. These are the best kinds of stories for children too because it helps encourage their imagination as you settle into the narrative behind Out, Mouse! you start to see how Egar developed the co-dependent relationship the mice had with Finn and how sometimes, the pests and creatures in your living environment have much more to say than you might realise in the beginning!

I loved how Egar also fused so much of the story from the dual perspectives of both Finn and the mice (ie. Mr and Mrs Mouse) - as he was given considerable time to become pensive about the places he was suggesting to the mice whilst with the mice, she gave such wonderful impressions of their first thoughts on each new location and what was right or wrong with it from their perspective on arrival. Their words were giving more depth to the world as they were visually describing everything they saw and in turn, of course, mentioning what might not be quite right with all of it, too!

The best bit of commentary I can share after listening to this is that it encouraged me to re-create the experience for my Mum who like me was shortly cackling with laughter about the antics of Finn and the curiously adventurous journey Mr and Mrs Mouse had undertaken throughout the course of the story! It is a story which befits any age of listener (or reader) and there is a lovely innocence about this story too which captures both your heart and your imagination! This is a direct credit to how well it was written and conceived by Ms Egar! As well as a nod to Mr Collins who brought the story lovingly to life through his narration.

This was cute. My kid loved it! We read it together before bed. He liked the characters and the story.

Great audiobook, ideal listen for family car journeys.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publishers for letting me listen to this audiobook in exchange for my honest feedback.

*received for free from netgalley for honest review* such a cute book! adorable story and i loved the artwork, too cute!

My daughter and I both enjoyed this audiobook. The narrator did a great job bringing the story to life and the story was well written and sweet.

I think that this book is so darn cute. I think this is a book that adults and kids would love alike. It's sweet and creative and listening to it on audiobook with his Irish accent and voice changes just adds a whole new level of awesome. I highly recommend it. Because it is a children's book I also feel that it's worth mentioning that it does not have swearing or inappropriate themes. I loved it.

Thank you #netgalley and #outmouse for giving me the opportunity to read this great book.

Out, Mouse!

written by Valerie L. Egar

audio narration by Paul Collins

Finn, an elderly Irish man, has unwelcome visitors as a mice family makes themselves at home in his cottage. Finn takes advice from Professor Dunderbutt’s book and writes a series of kind letters to Mr. and Mrs. Mouse making suggestions of places they would probably prefer to live. Unfortunately for Finn, they always find something unsuitable about the places he suggests. I won’t spoil the ending, but I’ll say that it did make me smile.

I was referred to this book by blogging book reviewer Carla at Carla Loves to Read. She mentions in her review that she listened to the audio version while reading the printed text. I have been wanting to dip into the many audio versions of books currently offered. With an actor reading this with an Irish accent, this book seemed like the perfect one to begin my listening adventure. Although I will probably continue to prefer the written word, I did enjoy listening to this narration which was very well performed.

I would like to extend my thanks to NetGalley and to Whistle Oak for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 4/5

Category: Children’s Fiction, Humor, Multicultural

Notes: 1. Publisher Recommended Ages: 6-9 years
2. Includes a section that encourages students to create pictures of what they imagined as they read the story.

Publication: April 6, 2021—Whistle Oak

Memorable Lines:

Finn knew something was wrong as soon as he opened the door to his cottage. Something or someone, had made a mess of the breakfast he’d placed on the table before taking his morning walk.

If the mice don’t like your first idea, keep writing letters. Sooner or later, one of your letters will work and they will move. This method NEVER fails.

He found a scrap of red cloth and tied it around his neck. A tiny brass nail became a make-believe sword. He held it tightly in his hand, waving it back and forth.

This amusing story is a great example of the value of manners. Finn takes the advice of Professor Dunderbutt who says the answer to mice problems is to write them a polite letter inviting them to live somewhere else. The story goes back and forth between Finn and Mrs. and Mr. Mouse as Finn writes letters with new suggestions of places for them to live and the Mouses explore these options only to return back to Finn’s home. The narration is well done and this is an excellent short entertaining choice for all readers which emphasizes politeness and understanding others perspectives.

Special thanks to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to Whistle Oak and NetGalley for an advanced listening copy of this fun book for early chapter book readers. Professor Dunderbutt would like the family of mice sharing his home to go elsewhere. He writes them a letter suggesting a new place to live. He's sure they'll love it far more than his house. The professor persists and keeps writing letters, but the mice are like Goldilocks and find fault with every new residence he suggests. This is a cute story that young readers are sure to love.

How lovely! When I was living in Ireland I one day listened to a radio program where a woman talked about this exact thing! Just that she was writing letters to the ants in her kitchen. I loved the story of Finn who's desperately trying to - politely - get rid of the mice living in his house. Great narration,too

A traditional-feeling tale that had me smiling.

Adults will see the structure of this and know where it is likely to lead, but it will still entertain. It's a great idea.

A frustrated man is tired of the two mice stealing food in his home, and he learns of a foolproof, guaranteed method for getting them to leave peaceably - write them a letter persuading them they would be happier elsewhere.

And so Finn writes Mr and Mrs Mouse several letters, telling them about other potential houses they might like more than his own, and that they should visit... each time hoping that they like it so much that they move straight out and leave him be.

But can he find somewhere they'll find suitable?

It's very funny, seeing Finn try to argue his mice into moving out. And seeing what each new property might have that stops the mice choosing it.

And of course, there's a wryly funny ending. Children will enjoy this one.

There's also some educational value it in - the art of persuasive writing, definitely something primary schools could make use of.

Toddlers and small children might find this a bit wordy and too mature a concept at times, but schoolchildren will both delight in the concept and execution.

I accessed this as an audiobook, and loved the Irish voice nicely portraying the main character, it gave the story a traditional feel. It's a familiar structure with repetition and humour. It's only a half hour listen, and a fairly short read for a confident reader.

For ages 5-9. With thanks to Netgalley for providing a sample (audio)reading copy.

Thank you netgalley and the publishers for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Out, Mouse! Is an entertaining and a lovely book about how how the protagonist tries to self beautiful and classy locations to the mice through his letters as he isn't comfortable having any uninvited guests in his cottage.

Finn writes thoughtful letters to the choosy Mr and Mrs mouse who are currently living in his cottage and creating a mess of everything. Taking the advice from a book on how to get rid of mice he expects it to work. Each letter contains the location and reasons why the mice might love living there instead of living here with Finn. However Mr and Mrs mouse are never quite satisfied with any of these locations. They usually find one or two drawbacks from each of the shared locations.

Will Finn be able to find the right house that pleases the mice and in turn works in his favour?

This was such an amazing story narrated beautifully by Paul Collins. He did a great job in bringing out the emotions of every character. It was a short, fun book and I would definitely recommend it

My 10-year-old daughter and I listened to this on a car ride to the store. It was so engaging that we sat in the driveway for several minutes to finish listening to it. The human in the book is splendidly human, and the animals in the book are fantastically oblivious to the difference between them and humans. It makes for a cute, fun, approachable tale.
This Irish folktale retelling features a bachelor who doesn't want the company of two mice and writes letters to encourage them to relocate. Naturally, the mice have other ideas. A short, fun read!

What a silly, fun tale this is.  Would you ever write letters to mice asking them to leave your house?  Would that even work?  Hmmm.  The audio version is entertaining with the narrator doing a good job reading the story. An 8-year old, listening along with me, found it interesting and could be heard giggling a few times. Out Mouse, by Valerie L Egar, and narrated by Paul Collins, is a short children's story that brought more than one smile to my face.

Cute book that had a fun twist that I didn’t expect at the end. It looks like the pictures in the book would be lovely based on the cover. Then narration was fun and well done.

This was a delightful listen, with narrator Paul Collins enhancing the story with his bright Irish inflection. Well paced and expressive, he brought the story to life with all of Finn's moods and the adventurous mishaps of the mice.

I'm so glad I impulsively downloaded this story as a Listen Now audiobook on NetGalley. It was the perfect "company" while working on a project, making the time fly by while keeping me smiling, and the narrator's voice brought comedic actor Ardal O'Hanlon to mind - never a bad thing, that.

An enjoyable read complimented by a cheerful narration, young readers and listeners are sure to be pleased by it - and adults, too! Recommended.

This review refers to a temporary digital audiobook I voluntarily read via NetGalley, courtesy of the publisher. A positive review was not required and all opinions expressed are my own.

Oh what a lovely story! My son and I listened this every day during bed time and we enjoyed every bit. The story of Finn trying to get rid of the mice and finding them a new home was adorable & funny. The only issue was, the narration could have been a bit slower for the benefit of my 5 year old, but otherwise, the voice modulation was done very well.

The ending again was hilarious and we couldn't help but laugh out loud at the fate of Finn and his failed escapade!

An adorable story that is short but sweet.

This audiobook is perfect for a short car trip to keep your kids entertained.

4 Stars

This is a delightful book for children & will suit several ages. As a picture book or audio book, toddlers will enjoy it but there are also longer words and more complex sentences which would make it good for slightly older children to read themselves. I can see it becoming a modern classic, sitting on bookshelves alongside the very hungry Caterpillar and the Gruffalo!
The concept of writing letters to mice will amuse children – and the way that Mr & Mrs Mouse respond to their new home suggestions will have children giggling!

I listened to the audiobook and the narrator, with his Irish accent, was a good choice

#OutMouse #NetGalley