Orris and Timble: The Beginning

Orris and Timble: The Beginning
Co-Authors / Illustrators
Publisher
Age Range
4+
Release Date
April 30, 2024
ISBN
978-1536222791
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From beloved storyteller Kate DiCamillo comes the first book in a warm and funny early-reader trilogy about a misanthropic rat and a naive owl—and the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

Orris the rat lives alone in an old barn surrounded by his treasures, until the day his solitude is disrupted by a sudden flutter of wings and a loud screech. A small owl has gotten caught in a trap in the barn. Can Orris “make the good and noble choice” (as the king on his prized sardine can might recommend) and rescue the owl, despite the fact that owls and rats are natural enemies? And if he does, will he be ready for the consequences? With humor and tenderness, two-time Newbery Medalist Kate DiCamillo brings us this first of three tales celebrating unlikely friendship and the power of sharing stories and doing the right thing—a soon-to-be classic brought to expressive life by the full-color illustrations of Carmen Mok.

Editor review

1 review
The Beginning of an Unlikely Friendship
Overall rating
 
4.0
Plot
 
4.0
Characters
 
3.0
Writing Style
 
4.0
Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)
 
5.0
ORRIS AND TIMBLE is a great early chapter book with illustrative support for beginning readers. Orris is a wise mouse who takes pity on a young owl named Timble who gets stuck in a trap. Orris knows that he is the natural prey for an owl but agrees to help anyway. This results in an unlikely friendship where Timble returns for more stories and a treat to thank Orris for his help.
I used both the audiobook version and the physical print version for this review. I felt some substance was lost in the audiobook version because the illustrations add a lot to the story, so I recommend using the printed book as a better choice to engage with this story. This is a deceptively short book – while the physical book appears quite thick, the audiobook version is approximately 20 minutes - which makes it an especially good choice for reluctant readers or older readers, since it looks more challenging than it is, which helps build confidence.
Overall, this story has a feel-good ending resulting in an unlikely set of friends and a good message about taking a chance with others. It also leaves room for more stories featuring this sweet pair since this is just the beginning of how they meet.
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