DiCamillo, Kate. Orris and Timble: The Beginning. Somerville, Massachusetts: Candlewick Press, 2024.
What a delightful little novel! Orris the rat is happily nested with his treasures – a red velvet slipper, a yellow marble, and a sardine can – in a hole in the wall. All is peaceful until he hears a call for help. An owl is caught in a mousetrap right outside Orris’s hiding spot. What would be the good and noble choice? In nine short chapters, Orris makes a brave decision and a friendship is formed.
This could have been a rather obvious retelling of the well-known fable of the lion and the mouse, but because Orris himself recalls it in the story, readers are humorously yet subtly shown how literature can guide our conduct in life. DiCamillo’s writing flows so smoothly that only skillful readers will notice the figurative language, foreshadowing, and other literary techniques including a quiet allusion to a raven and wolf myth. Only older readers will notice that the pronoun for Timble the owl changes from ‘it’ at the beginning to ‘he’ at the end.
Evocative illustrations by Carmen Mok help to tell this 76-page story most highly recommended for children up to nine years of age. A perfect choice for primary teachers looking for a novel study and a useful resource for middle school literature teachers. Definitely a book to buy for readers of any age who admire outstanding writing!
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