The Dormouse's Mistake
A family of dormice lives peacefully at the corner of a common, unaware of the outside world. The parents, having learned human language from an ancestor who escaped captivity, teach their children. As winter approaches, the parents prepare to hibernate, leaving their four young ones to fend for themselves. The children initially feel lonely but manage to enjoy their time until they too succumb to drowsiness and fall asleep. Meanwhile, Cicely Gray, a human girl, and her brother Harry discuss the dormice while walking home. Harry expresses a desire to hunt, while Cicely envies the dormice's ability to sleep through winter. After Harry leaves for school, Cicely notices a warm spell and wishes she could share it with him. As the dormice awaken from hibernation, Fuzz, one of the young dormice, believes summer has returned and decides to venture out. He encounters Cicely, who warns him that it is still winter and advises him to return home. He initially doubts his parents' judgment but ultimately heeds her advice and returns to the nest. That evening, the weather turns cold, confirming Cicely's warning. The dormice remain safe in their nest, while Cicely reflects on her encounter with Fuzz, hoping he understood her guidance. The story highlights themes of innocence, the importance of heeding wisdom, and the contrast between the dormice's simple life and the complexities of the human world.
By Mary Louisa Molesworth · First published 1888 · Genre: Children's Literature, Fantasy, Fable · 1,638 words
First lines
They lived at the corner of the common. Papa, Mamma, Fuzz and Brown-ears, Snip and Peepy, their four children. It was a lovely place to live at, but as they had never seen any other part of the world, I am not sure that they thought it quite so delightful as they might otherwise have done. The children, that is to say -- Papa and Mamma of course were wiser. They had _heard_ of very different sorts of places where some poor dormice had to live; small cooped-up nests called cages, out of which they were never allowed to run about, or to enjoy the delightful summer sunshine, and go foraging for hazel nuts and haws, and other delicacies, for themselves. For an ancestor of theirs had once been taken prisoner and shut up in a cage, whence, wonderful to say, he had escaped and got back to the woods again, where he became a great personage among dormice, and was even occasionally requested to give lectures in public to the squirrels and water-rats, and moles and rabbits, and other forest-folk, describing the strange and marvellous things he had seen and heard during his captivity. He had learnt to understand human talk for one thing, and had taught it to his children; and his great-grandson, the Papa of Fuzz and Brown-ears, Snip and Peepy, had begun to give them lessons in this foreign language in their turn, for, as he wisely remarked, there was no saying if it might not turn out useful some day.
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The Dormouse's Mistake is listed on Textopian as a short story by Mary Louisa Molesworth, dated 1888 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Short story
- Author: Mary Louisa Molesworth
- Date: 1888 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Children's Literature, Fantasy, Fable, Adventure, Nature Writing
- Length: 1,638 words
- Structure: 1 section, 29 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Fairly Easy (7th Grade)
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Genres
- Children's Literature — The story features anthropomorphized animals and is aimed at a young audience, focusing on themes of family and nature.
- Fantasy — The narrative includes talking animals and magical elements, creating a whimsical and imaginative world.
- Fable — The story conveys a moral lesson about understanding one's environment and the consequences of one's actions.
- Adventure — The plot involves the young dormouse venturing out into the world, highlighting themes of exploration and curiosity.
Tags
Fantasy · Children's Literature · Adventure · Mystery · Coming-of-age · Friendship · Growing Up · Self-discovery · Imagination · Magic Realism · Whimsy · Humor