Mouse is 'tiny and timid', and when she starts a big, noisy, new school, she is usually found hiding behind the wheelie bins or keeping close to walls. When an older bully of a girl tells Mouse that behind a blue door is a snake-pit and that bad children are put there, Mouse believes her. And when her teacher gives her a book about snakes to read, she is terrified. A chapter called 'How to Protect Yourself Against Snakes' puts an entirely different idea into Mouse's head, and when she goes to school clomping in her dad's big boots and wearing big black shades, the other children see a vey different mouse - one who is no longer fearful. When she discovers that the snake-pit is nothing more exciting than the school boiler room, she is furious and confronts the bully. Her new-found interest in and knowledge about snakes has made her an interesting person in her own right. Large print and lots of funny black and black illustrations make this an ideal choice for a newly independent reader.