The Pirates' Treasure (Tumtum and Nutmeg) by Emily Bearn

As we meet Tumtum he is looking forward to an uneventful day As he went, he remembered all the things he had to do. There was breakfast, elevenses, lunch, tea and supper to eat, and a newspaper to read, and a nap to fit in. And that is a lot of events in a day which promises to be uneventful. However, things are about to get very exciting indeed. Nutmeg overhears the children discussing a camping trip in which they plan to sleep overnight down by the river. The two mice are worried about the children going camping alone, and so begins their latest adventure as they sneak down to the river with them to try and keep an eye on them in case of trouble. Unluckily for them they are joined by General Marchmouse who, unlike Tumtum and Nutmeg, is a very adventurous and rather foolhardy mouse, and thanks to him they find themselves adrift on a pond in a toy boat and about to be captured by rat pirates...

Tumtum and Nutmeg are, officially, Mr and Mrs Nutmouse and their lovely house can be found at the back of the broom cupboard in Rose Cottage. It has thirty six rooms, including a ballroom and a banqueting room. Tumtum and Nutmeg are both home-loving, quiet and generous mice who love to stay at home reading, baking and eating yet they somehow get caught up into fantastic adventures. The two children who live in Rose Cottage, Arthur and Lucy, are unaware of the existence of Nutmouse Hall and its two inhabitants. They do know of 'Nutmeg' though believing her to be a fairy who lives in their attic and who has helped them in the past as Nutmeg and Tumtum do their best to look out for the children and secretly help them if they can.

This is the third book by Emily Bearn about Tumtum and Nutmeg. It was my first introduction to these characters, but I didn't feel at a disadvantage for not having read the previous two books. I have to admit to being rather partial to stories about funny little anthropomorphised animals, and just the names of the two mice made me suspect that I was going to like this story. It didn't disappoint me! They are two funny little mice who seem to spend a large amount of their time eating. They are a little bit fussy, a little bit upper class, a little bit old fashioned but very conscientious about the care of the human children who live in Rose Cottage. They reminded me of The Borrowers by Mary Norton and the book has something of an old-fashioned feel to it that I liked very much.

It's a well-written tale with villainous pirate rats, a blundering General causing trouble at every step and gentle Tumtum and Nutmeg who just want to get safely back home. The look and feel of the book is very nicely done, with a lovely colour cover as well as black and white drawings of all the action and adventure throughout the story. There's plenty of excitement, but nothing too scary for little ones. It would make a nice gift for a good reader to enjoy themselves, or I am looking forward to reading it to my daughter as a bedtime story once she gets beyond the 'I want my Potty!' stage and onto some more lengthy stories!

I'd like to thank the publishers for sending a copy to The Bookbag.

If this book appeals to you then we're sure that you'll like Whortle's Hope by Robin Jarvis.

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You can read more book reviews or buy The Pirates' Treasure (Tumtum and Nutmeg) by Emily Bearn at Amazon.co.uk Amazon currently charges £2.99 for standard delivery for orders under £20, over which delivery is free.
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