Winter Mice

Once upon a time, there was a family of mice: Father mouse, Mother mouse, Sister mouse and Brother mouse.


They lived in a chink in the wall between a garden and a field. All through the spring, the summer and the fall they were happy to live there. If ever they were hungry they could easily go into the garden to see what the gardener had left behind, or into the field to see what the farmer had left behind. All through the spring, the summer and the fall they were happy and cozy in their house in the wall.

But soon the winter came, bringing snow and sleet and hail.


The little mouse family shivered in their house in the chink in the garden wall. Mother mouse said: "this house is too cold for us to stay in all winter. We must find a new house".

So Father mouse crept out of their chink in the wall, and went across the garden to find a new house.


Before long Father mouse found another wall.


This wall had a chink as well, and when he climbed through, he found himself in a warm and cozy kitchen. There, in the kitchen, was a basket of old rags, and Father mouse thought to himself, "this will be a very fine house for our family. It will keep us cozy and warm all through the winter".


So, father mouse went back out into the garden, and back to their house in the garden wall. He told his family what he had found. They packed up everything they thought they might need, and traveled across the garden to the kitchen wall.

They climbed through the chink, into the kitchen and right into the cozy basket of rags. There they began to arrange their new house.


It so happened that the kitchen belonged to a baker, and before long the baker came in and decided to make some cinnamon raisin bread.


First he got out his mixing bowl. Then the baker took the canister of flour and began to shake, shake, shake that flour into the mixing bowl; and the flour began to fly all over the kitchen.
Mother mouse peeped out of their new house and cried, "oh, no! It is beginning to snow!"


Father mouse looked out of their new house and said, "it doesn't look like snow. . . "
Brother mouse poked his nose out of the house and said, "it doesn't smell like snow . . ."
Sister mouse, who was very brave, took a little taste and said, "it doesn't taste like snow, in fact, it tastes like flour!"
"Oh, how clever am I!" Said Father mouse. "I have found us a cozy home where, when it snows, it snows flour!" And they all went back to arranging their new house.

Next the baker began to add the cinnamon to the bread. He took the canister and began to shake, shake, shake that cinnamon into the bowl, and the cinnamon began to fly all over the kitchen.
Mother mouse peeped out of their new house and cried, "oh, no! It is beginning to sleet!"

Father mouse looked out of their new house and said, "it doesn't look like sleet. . . "
Brother mouse poked his nose out of the house and said, "it doesn't smell like sleet . . ."
Sister mouse, who was very brave, took a little taste and said, "it doesn't taste like sleet, in fact, it tastes like cinnamon!"
"Oh, how clever am I!" Said Father mouse. "I have found us a cozy home where, when it snows, it snows flour! And when it sleets, it sleets cinnamon!" And they all went back to arranging their new house.

Finally, the baker began to add the raisins to the bread. He took the canister and began to shake, shake, shake those raisins into the bowl, and the raisins began to fly all over the kitchen.


Mother mouse peeped out of their new house and cried, "oh, no! It is beginning to hail!"
Father mouse looked out of their new house and said, "it doesn't look like hail. . . "
Brother mouse poked his nose out of the house and said, "it doesn't smell like hail . . ."
Sister mouse, who was very brave, took a little taste and said, "it doesn't taste like hail, in fact, it tastes like raisins!"


"Oh, how clever am I!" Said Father mouse. "I have found us a cozy home where, when it snows, it snows flour, when it sleets, it sleets cinnamon, and when it hails, it hails raisins! We will be very cozy here!" And indeed they were. They all went back to arranging their new house, and if things have not changed, they are living there to this day.