Hickory by Palmer Brown; The New York Review of Children’s Books, $14.95, 56 pages, ages 5-8. 

© The New York Review of Children’s Books 

Inspired by the classic nursery rhyme, Palmer Brown’s mouse adventure starts out in a cozy grandfather clock. Aside from the occasional mousetrap, life is good for Hickory, Dickory and Dock. Hickory, the eldest, decides to strike out on his own.  Upon moving to the nearby meadow, he settles into a comfortable, if lonely, existence. Soon a cheery grasshopper named Hop bounds into Hickory’s life, and the unlikely duo revel in the bounty of the summer meadow. 

© The New York Review of Children’s Books 

When the air turns crisp, Hop alerts her companion that soon she will meet her end – in terms that a small child might not quite grasp – and Hickory embarks on a mission to save his companion from her demise.  The pair head south, hopeful that they may outwit Mother Nature. Soon enough, Hickory realizes that some things are immutable, and that acceptance marks the end of a touching and emotional story of friendship. 

© The New York Review of Children’s Books 

Brown’s colorful drawings pepper the book, depicting a miniature world wrought large. Younger readers will enjoy picking out the tiniest of details – a match next to a flowerpot, Hickory’s crutches thrown into the grass – and budding botanists will adore the illustrations of seasonally appropriate plants and flowers.

Originally published in 1978, Hickory was recently reissued by The New York Review of Children’s Books.  All five of Brown’s books for children are in print.