Little Downy: The History of a Field-Mouse

** "Little Downy: The History of a Field-Mouse" by Catharine Parr Strickland Traill is an early 19th-century children's story that follows Downy, a field mouse, as she learns about life through difficult circumstances. After the unfortunate loss of her family, Downy must learn to be careful and work hard if she wants to survive predators and traps in the wild. The story starts when a boy named Alfred sees a mouse eating his cake, which makes him and his mother think about being kind to animals. Throughout her struggles, Downy befriends another mouse named Silket, but his troublemaking causes them even more problems; eventually, Downy experiences more loss when she looses her new companion and child, which adds more weight to the story's lesson about being responsible. **