Hush, Mouse! is a children’s picture book written by Becky Benishek and illustrated by Alicia Young. Mouse loved to talk. She meowed all the time: while her people watched TV; when they were eating breakfast; she even meowed when they were trying to sleep. Her family loved the little kitten who was so small they had named her Mouse. From her striped tail to her toes, she was a tiny thing, whose only big parts were her beautiful pink ears.

Mouse’s best human friend was called Little Liz. She was tiny too and needed help even to climb up onto a chair in the kitchen. Her beautiful brown eyes were her only big parts. People would say about both Mouse and Little Liz that they would grow into their larger parts, but, for now, they were little while everyone else was big. Little Liz was the only one who never told Mouse to be quiet when she was talking. Liz listened to her friend as she knew what it was like not to be heard. Then one night something happened to change everything.

Becky Benishek’s children’s picture book, Hush, Mouse!, is a heartwarming story about two diminutive best friends and the big part they play when danger comes calling. I loved Mouse's and Liz’s parallel stories and have no doubt that kids who are small for their age will read this book feeling a little better about having to wait to grow into their own big parts. Alicia Young’s illustrations are brilliant. They’re beautifully colored, and the expressions on both Mouse's and Liz’s faces make me smile. Hush, Mouse! is most highly recommended.

Hush, Mouse! by Becky Benishek is a beautifully illustrated children's picture book that any child will love and enjoy reading over and over again. Why? Because the pictures that illustrator Alicia Young created help to give a voice to the storyline. This storybook is even ideal for a beginning reader. Children will enjoy reading about the friendship between Elizabeth Mary, aka Little Liz, and Mouse and their appreciation for each other. In this story, Mouse just wouldn't keep quiet. Mouse is not a mouse at all but a little gray kitten that meows all day long. All throughout the house, the family hears meow, meow, meow from under the kitchen table to some of her best hiding places. But one day Mouse meowed so much and she didn't stop. Her best friend, Little Liz, came to the rescue that helped to thwart the family from being robbed. Both Mouse and Little Liz were finally heard and became heroes to the family.

This is a wonderful storybook that I thoroughly enjoyed. It is simple stories like this that excite a child's imagination and make them want to read more and more. This story displays that since Mouse meows so much that the family stopped paying her attention. It shows that it's important to at least check on what someone is doing or saying, no matter how insignificant it may seem. If it wasn't for the friendship between Little Liz and Mouse, the family might have been in danger. This book is highly recommended and ideal to add to your child’s library.

Hush Mouse is another gem in a catalog full of gentle creatures brought to vivid life by an author I find to be deceptively good. Her themes are common and essential, the challenge of belonging and the joy of finding kinship and love. Although her style is never overwrought, I find a quiet poetry there that is uniquely her own. More than just great stories, there's real character here.