Little Shrew, a silky rodent with a pointed nose and round eyes, lives a rather commonplace life with a well-established routine. He eats the same breakfast each day, brushes his fur with a hairbrush he’s had “forever,” and departs for his job at the currency exchange. He is a diligent and organized worker. After dinner, he listens to the weather forecast and then “turns to [the] evening’s to-do.” (Mondays are laundry days, while Thursdays are for playing with his Rubik’s Cube. He cooks on the weekends.) On his day off, Little Shrew trades his scarf for an old television at a garage sale. On the TV he sees, for the first time, the ocean, and his “heart fills with a dream of traveling to a tropical island.” Amazingly, he soon finds a poster with a tropical scene outside near the trash and hangs it at the foot of his bed, hoping to inspire sweet dreams. In the third and final chapter, Little Shrew prepares for his two friends’ annual New Year’s Eve visit. The three of them enjoy a meal, conversation, television, and music before Little Shrew’s friends head out into the night, leaving him to reflect on his “good year.” Plentiful illustrations bring Little Shrew’s surroundings to life; he lives in a humble apartment in a world largely populated by humans. Understated and charming, this story revels in “ordinary” life, which needs not be glamorous to feel satisfying and complete.

A beguiling, quietly magical appreciation of life’s little pleasures. Little Shrew is diligent in all parts of life. He’s a hard worker and follows a strict schedule from morning to night. But even a life that runs like clockwork can be filled with unexpected pockets of joy. This charming collection of three short stories — perfect for emerging readers — illustrated in Miyakoshi’s signature soft monochrome palette, celebrates enduring friendships, dreams for the future and the little pleasures that make everyday life more meaningful.