Little Shrew by Akiko Miyakoshi

Little Shrew is the dutiful hero of his ordinary life in this understated chapter book.

Little Shrew by Akiko Miyakoshi. Kids Can Press, 2024, 71 pages.

Reading Level: Chapter Book, ages 6-8

Recommended for: ages 4-8 as a read-aloud; 6-10 for independent readers.

Little Shrew leads an ordinary life in the big city. Every weekday he rises at 6, eats three honey biscuits for breakfast, packs his lunch, and heads for his office on the commuter train. He’s a conscientious worker from 8 to 4:55, when he straightens his desk and bids farewell to his co-worker Tom. Stopping off at the bakery on the way home he picks up fresh rolls for dinner. Evenings are for relaxation before the radio and routine household chores before bed at 9. Weekends offer a break from the work routine, and holidays are a special once-a-year treat.

As depicted in the quasi-realistic, soft-focus illustrations, Little Shrew exists in a world of humans, none of whom see anything remarkable about an oversize mole-like creature sharing space with them. Actual shrews (I looked them up) are frenetically active and voracious, unlike our gentle, low-key protagonist. But the author/illustrator uses these odd juxtapositions to depict the structure of ordinary life. Three chapters detail workday activities, weekend activities, and annual holidays (Little Shrew celebrates a kind of Christmas/New Year holiday in mid-winter). What are some of the things we do every school day? How are the weekends different? And what special days come around once a year? Little Shrew seems to enjoy his ordinary life, boring though it seems, and so can we.

Bottom Line: A quiet, charming read that cultivates appreciation for work and leisure.

Also at Redeemed Reader:

• Reflection: Is your life too routine? Just Serve Dinner.
• Reviews: Picture books that celebrate ordinary lives and natural wonders: Farmhouse, House Finds a Home, The Night Walk, The Rescuer of Tiny Creatures, and The Lost Package.
• Review: Even royalty has its humdrum angle; see our starred review of M.M. Kaye’s The Ordinary Princess.

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