Story Time: The Princess Mouse

Next time you're at the library, pick up The Princess Mouse by Aaron Shepard.

You'll really captivate the kids in your babysitting co-op if you learn the simple tune that goes with this story. The music is in the book, and it's really just one line repeated. Plunk it out on the piano so you learn the melody, and then sing it at the right places in the story. Or, if you don't have a piano, listen to the tune on Aaron Shepard's website. It's a haunting little melody, and the kids will be entranced.

And the story's not bad either. It's a Finnish fairy tale about a princess that was turned into a mouse. Think Beauty and the Beast, only it's a kind-hearted boy who falls in love with a cursed girl instead of the other way around. The illustrations by Leonid Gore are lovely, as you can see from the image above, and the re-telling by Aaron Shepard sets a beautiful mood.

This is a great bedtime book, but it's also very helpful when you've got a room full of wound-up kids who need to settle down.

For older kids, print out the Reader's Theater and let them act it out themselves. A really ambitious group of babysitting co-op kids could practice this during a date-night shift and perform for all the parents when they get home!