A jolly read for newly-independent readers, but could be used as a story for younger children as well. Lottie La Belle and her poodle Patrick are inseparable. He even goes to watch when she swims. One day when Lottie is in a bad mood, she refuses her supper and vows only to eat bread and cheese from then on. Which she does. Gradually, Lottie turns into a mouse, and the doctor says the only way she can be a child again is to start eating vegetables. But Lottie likes being a mouse - until she is chased by a cat and only saved by Patrick's swift intervention. She is finally convinced that she wants to be a little girl again when she discovers that mice don't like swimming. Back to the vegetables and all is well, particularly for Patrick, who has missed playing with Lottie. Absurdly funny, the bright pictures work a treat and make this as much a picture book as a reader.