Catnip Mouse

Written and Illustrated by A. J. Smith

Vera and Gripp are friends. One day Vera is playing with her special toy, catnip mouse, when Gripp comes and tries to force her to play with him, then he breaks her special toy. He doesn’t pay attention to her feelings and starts saying silly things. The silly things got annoying to me but some were funny. Then Vera gets upset and breaks Gripp’s special thing. They both have to say “sorry” and then start to play together again. The book teaches to forgive friends, which is good, but some words are hard to read so little kids probably can’t read it on their own.

Reviewed by Maximus Skousen, Student, Jim Bridger Elementary
Review shared in April 2026
Rating: ★★★✩✩ (3 stars)
Interest Level: Grades K-2

Catnip Mouse
Written and Illustrated by A. J. Smith
Kids Can Press
40 pages
Release Date: October 7, 2025
ISBN: 978-1-5253-1353-0
A review copy was provided by the publisher.