A Mouse in the House

It was a cold winter evening, and the Smith family were eating dinner. They were talking about their day when, suddenly, they saw something run across the floor. ‘Aaaaaaah!’ Mrs Smith shouted, jumping off her chair. “There is a mouse in the house! Help!”

Mr Smith jumped on a chair. “Keep it away from me!” he cried. Mrs Smith jumped onto the table. Anna, their daughter, screamed, “Get it out!” then ran out of the room. Everyone was afraid.

Only young Jamie was not scared. He was eight years old and loved animals. “Don’t hurt it!” he said. “It’s only a little mouse. It will not hurt us.”

But Mr Smith shook his head. “We must take it away. Mice eat food and make a mess.”

That night, the family put a trap in the kitchen. But Jamie took the trap away. He put a piece of cheese on the floor instead. The mouse came out, took the cheese, and ran back to its hole. Jamie smiled.

The next day, Mrs Smith lost her ring. It was under the table. She could not get it. Then the little mouse came out and pushed the ring closer with its nose. Mrs Smith picked it up. “Thank you,” she said softly.

Later that week, Anna was doing her homework. The wind from the window blew her papers onto the floor. The mouse came out and moved the papers back with its tiny feet. Anna opened her eyes wide. “Did the mouse help me?” she asked.

Even Mr Smith began to like the mouse. One evening, he left small pieces of bread on the floor after dinner. In the morning, the pieces were gone. It had eaten them. Mr Smith laughed. “It helps to clean!” he said.

Day by day, the mouse did little things. It pushed things across the room, moved pencils, and ate food that fell on the floor.

One evening, Mrs Smith said, “Maybe we don’t need to send the mouse away.”

Jamie clapped his hands. “See? I told you it could be our friend!”

From then on, the Smith family gave the mouse a little cheese every night. They were not afraid anymore. The mouse had a home, and the family had a new friend.

📒 Key vocabulary

• mouse – a very small animal with a long tail
• shouted (shout, shouted, shouted) – speak in a loud voice to show fear or anger
• screamed (scream, screamed, screamed) – make a very loud, high sound
• hurt (hurt, hurt, hurt) – feel pain in the body
• mice – more than one mouse
• mess – things are not tidy or clean
• trap – something used to catch an animal or person
• pushed (push, push, push) – move something by pressing on it
• blew (blow, blew, blown) – make air move, like with your mouth or the wind
• clapped (clap, clapped, clapped) – make a noise by hitting your hands together to show approval

🤔 Comprehension quiz

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