It’s amusing how a story about a little mouse can unravel so many secrets from children.
Eric Battut’s story Little Mouse’s Big Secret did wonders when read to our fifth graders in Emmaus school last year. The story revolves around a little mouse who finds a delicious looking apple. Determined to keep this a secret, he buries the apple in the ground. He hides it from all his fellow animals and birds- the squirrel, the bird, the turtle, the hedgehog, the rabbit and the frog without realizing of the time elapsed when the apple has grown into a big tree bearing red, delicious looking apples. This endearingly selfish mouse soon has a realization that some secrets are better shared with friends than to keep it all to oneself. That message comes out beautifully in the last page where all the animals have an apple each for themselves.
The book takes your heart with its minimalist illustrations and text. Yet, the message it intends to pass is immense. It appeals to young readers with its cute animal characters and repetitive phrases.
The climax of the story of sharing secrets had thus opened the ‘Pandora’s Box’ with our children. Once the story was completed, each child wanted to share some of their secrets with us (without telling their other classmates, and after we had agreed to maintain confidentiality). While for one kid it was a simple secret about not completing schoolwork and not informing their parents about it, for another it was about taking Rs. 5 from his father’s wallet without permission . Then, it was also the realization that he should not have done that. Our reasoning as elders which we shared with them made them look at their own secrets from a different perspective. And it was tough for us to do that job without making the child feel that we were being non-judgemental.
It was interesting to see how a simple story book had opened channels for the children to connect with us and build trust with someone whom they meet only once a week!
