The Tale of Despereaux By Kate DiCamillo; illustrated by Timothy Basil Ering

This fairy-tale-like story is about a mouse, the smallest mouse in his community, who falls in love with a princess. This mouse, Despereaux, discovers the beauty of music and the written word. He reads a story about a knight in shining armor who serves and honors a beautiful princess. As the story progresses, Despereaux finds himself in a position to rescue the beautiful princess whom he loves. Along the way he meets a jailer, rats, a serving girl, a prisoner, a cook, and a king. How will such a small mouse manage to rescue the princess? Will there be a happy-ever-after ending to this story? Read it and find out.