From Skyscrapers to Collecting Snails- stories to inspire curiosity and kindness!

When Mum started writing these stories, her grandchildren (my kids!) lived in a 14th floor flat in Hong Kong. She worried they’d miss out on exploring English hedgerows and getting to know the wildlife hiding under the twigs and dry leaves.

Watching her grumpy old Jack Russell terrier sniffing and snorting at some unfortunate creature cowering under the garden shed gave her an idea. What if an earnest little mouse lived under there, and she could take him on some crazy adventures to give the city-dwelling grandkids a glimpse of English country life?

Each story included things like compost heaps and bonfire piles and ripe blackberries- strange concepts when you are surrounded by lots of concrete, glass, and steel. I like that she let the animals stay as animals - eating insects and roots, not wearing pretty frocks, drinking tea, and nibbling on biscuits. Well, there is some biscuit nibbling, but only on the crumbs found behind market stalls or under church pews.  

I don’t think Mum really intended these tales to be massively educational; she was just offering a peek into the English countryside. But in these days of renewed commitment to diversity and inclusion, I think it’s rather nice that Henry the field mouse gets to meet all sorts of different animals that don’t look like him and don’t eat the same food.

Some even sleep all through the winter and are covered in sharp prickles, but he is always polite and curious about their unusual accommodation and quite brave at the sight of giant hooves or long pointed ears. And apart from a couple of dubious characters who just might like a small mouse for supper, he makes friends with them all.

Reading about behaving with curiosity and kindness – especially when meeting folks who don’t look quite like you – is such a topical message for today’s little adventurers, even though these stories were written for distant grandchildren over 20 years ago.  

The countryside connection goal certainly worked as our summer jaunts to England were always an endless stream of “nature tables” adorned with collections of snail shells, fir cones, and pigeon feathers- precious treasures indeed when you live on the 14th floor overlooking the South China Sea.  

And as for being curious and kind, well of course as their mum I may be a little biased, but I think they got the message…