Hush, Mouse! (Excerpt)

“My kids and I loved this story. The pacing and flow were perfect, not to mention the adorable illustrations! This story promotes celebrating differences and understanding that we are are special in our own way. Hush, Mouse! is a must have for every child’s personal library!“ -Erica Graham, author of the Talking Tales series.

Welcome to the excerpt page for Hush, Mouse!

Synopsis: A kitten named Mouse meows so much that she’s always being told to hush! Only Little Liz appreciates Mouse, because nobody really pays attention to what she has to say, either. Then one day, they prevent a crime, proving that even though they’re small, they’re worth being listened to!

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Hush, Mouse!

By Becky Benishek. Illustrations by Alicia Young.
Copyright 2018 Becky Benishek

Mouse wasn’t a mouse at all, but she was called Mouse all the same.

This happened because Mouse was a tiny gray kitten who knew all the best places to hide.

Mouse also had tiny gray paws and a tiny gray-and-black striped tail. In fact, the only big thing about Mouse was her big gray ears, which were soft pink inside.

Mouse’s people liked to say that she hadn’t grown into her ears yet.

Even though Mouse liked to hide, everyone knew where she was, because she had something to say: “Meow!”

This wouldn’t be so bad, except Mouse always had something to say: “Meow, meow, meow, meow!”

And her meows never seemed to come at the right time.

“Meow, meow, meow,” she’d say from beneath the couch, as her people were watching TV.

“Hush, Mouse!” they’d say.

“Meow, meow, meow,” she’d say from under the kitchen table, as her people were eating breakfast.

“Hush, Mouse!” they’d say.

“Meowwwwrr!” she’d say from behind the bedroom door, as her people were going to sleep.

“Hush, Mouse!” they’d say.

Mouse tried to be quiet, but it wasn’t easy.

The only person in Mouse’s house who understood Mouse at all was Little Liz.

Little Liz’s real name was Elizabeth Mary, but she was called Little Liz because she was so short for her age.

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Her arms and hands were so tiny that she had to stand on her tiptoes to reach things. Her legs were so stubby, she couldn’t climb onto chairs or laps without help.

In fact, the only big thing about Little Liz was her big brown eyes beneath her curly brown hair.

Little Liz’s people liked to say that she hadn’t grown into her eyes yet.

Most of the time, when Little Liz had something to say, nobody heard her because their ears were so far above her voice.

So Little Liz knew what it was like not to be listened to. She never told Mouse to hush.

Instead, she’d hug Mouse tightly every day and spend hours playing with her. And Mouse never had any trouble hearing what Little Liz said.

One day while Little Liz was taking her nap, Mouse was in the living room, sunning herself on the window ledge behind the curtain.

Then Mouse heard strange sounds coming from the kitchen.

“Clang! Thump!”

What’s happening in Mouse’s house? Find out when you bring this 5-star Readers’ Favorite book into your house! Available in softcover and hardcover, and in dyslexic font.