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Gently explaining what happens when a pet dies, and how the animal will not 'come back' (a concept which young children often find hard to grasp).
Author: Robie H. Harris
Illustrator: Jan Ormerod
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
One morning, a small boy (the narrator of the story) can’t wake up Mousie, his pet mouse. His Daddy explains that Mousie has died. At first the boy doesn’t believe him and thinks he must be just sleeping, then he gets angry at Mousie for dying, then the tears arrive and the boy feels very sad. Daddy explains that the mouse was very old and he had a good life. They decide to bury the mouse in the garden, and the boys sets about putting special things in a shoebox to bury with Mousie. The family have a little funeral in the garden. The boy realises that Mousie won’t be coming back, and perhaps one day he will be ready to look after another pet.