Fumbling Through Fantasy: The Rescuers by Margery Sharp (1959)

In this first book of a series, a group of mice known as the Prisoners' Aid Society wishes to help a Norwegian poet escape from the Black Castle. The group sends Bernard, a pantry mouse, to find Miss Bianca, a privileged mouse who lives in a porcelain pagoda in the home of the Norwegian ambassador, in order that she might help him locate the bravest mouse in Norway and send him to the Black Castle. In the end, Bernard, Bianca, and a Norwegian mouse named Nils make the journey to the castle together and endure many dangers and encounters with a cat before they can even begin to carry out their task.

This book is almost nothing like the Disney movie of the same name, which is a definite good thing. Margery Sharp's writing is clever and quirky, and the adventures of the three mice are entertaining and exciting. I read the book aloud to my older two girls who are going on 4 and 6, and they were completely invested in the success of the mice's mission, especially when it came to fending off the unpleasant cat that so often thwarted their plans. The illustrations by Garth Williams also perfectly suit the story, and my girls pored over every detail.

Though the language was a bit sophisticated in parts, this was a successful read-aloud for us, and I'm hoping I'll be able to track down some of the later books of the series as well so we can continue reading about Miss Bianca's adventures. For kids who love talking animals and adventure stories, this is a guaranteed hit.