Of Mice and Crickets

I'm doing some preparation work for a birthday party gig this Friday night. I had a special request for a story with a mouse in it. There are lots and lots of folktales with mice. However, I'm taking the opportunity to present two of my favorite literary mouse stories:

"The Crickets" from Mouse Soup, by Arnold Lobel
"The Journey," from Mouse Tales, by Arnold Lobel

In "The Crickets," a mouse is trying to sleep. A cricket chirps by the mouse's window, and the mouse calls down, "What is that noise?" The cricket replies, "What did you say? I cannot hear you and make my music at the same time.”

The mouse replies that she's trying to sleep, and that she doesn't want any more music. The cricket responds with, “What did you say? You want more music? I will find a friend.”

And soon, there are two crickets chirping...

I'm planning to sing and play, "Oh, Miss Mousie, won't you come out tonight?" to the tune of Buffalo Gals (a two-chord song I play using G and D7). If I'm lucky, the birthday party guests will join in to sing as the group of crickets grows.

"The Journey" has a mouse driving off to see his mother. When the car breaks down, he finds someone by the side of the road selling roller-skates. This arrangement works until the wheels fall off the rollerskates. The mouse continues on with different assortments of footwear... but what happens when his feet wear out? The solution is quite silly.