Where the Heart Is

By Shirley Marr & Michael Speechley

Walker Books, 2026

Reviewed by Barbara Braxton

Mouse lives in a barley field as big as the entire world, but as the seasons turn, the weather cools, and the barley turns yellow, it is time to think of stoking the fire and settling in for the cold days to come. But, cosy as that might sound, it is also time to say goodbye to summer friends who are leaving to find warmer places to wait out the winter. But as the field becomes quiet and still, Mouse misses his friends and sets off to follow them…

Once again, the talents of Shirley Marr and Michael Speechley have been teamed to give our young readers a gentle, calming story that has the power to take them well beyond the lyrical text and soothing illustrations.  From the cleverly designed front cover which echoes the title as well as setting the scene, they can predict what the story might be about, and because it is set in the northern hemisphere where creatures head south for the sun, already there are new ideas to explore.  Speechley’s illustrations in their autumnal tones paint a picture that will be familiar to those of us who live where there are four distinct seasons but what is that time of year like for others where the lines are not so defined? And what are those creatures who are leaving and where are they going?  And, even stranger, when Mouse does find his winter home, why has Speechley created a cross-cut view showing creatures sleeping underground?

So much potential to explore themes like the changing seasons, migration, hibernation and so on while building vocabulary and expanding knowledge that will not only broaden horizons but help our little ones paint mind-pictures when they encounter similar scenarios in other stories. Even though they might still be in Piaget’s preoperational or concrete operations stages where their world is limited to what they can actually see and do, their worlds and their thinking are expanding and books like this that open up the unfamiliar are essential for developing their imaginations and more abstract thinking. Thus, both the title and Mouse’s journey contribute to that as they consider what “home” means and whether it is more than a physical dwelling. Why did Mouse abandon his quest after eating his cheese platter on top of the farm gate?

The best stories for little ones are those where the words and pictures are so intertwined that one doesn’t work without the other, and thus take the reader well beyond the physical, printed page.  This is one of those.

Reproduced with permision from The Bottom Shelf .