Hermelin: The Detective Mouse

Product Information

Write your own newspaper article (or create a radio / video report) about the dramatic rescue of Baby McMumbo. Hermelin, who is a compassionate mouse, feels sorry for all these people who have lost something that is dear to them. They need help and he decides that he is the perfect person for the job. One morning Hermelin walks past the Offley Street notice board and he sees that is covered with notices. Seven of the eight notices were written by people who have lost something. Imogen Splotts has lost her tedd bear, Captain Potts has lost his cat, and Emily, who lives in Hermelin’s house at No.33, has lost her notebook. Other residents have lost a bag, reading glasses, a goldfish, and a diamond bracelet.

Hermelin is a rodent that lives on Osprey street and spends all his time observing his neighbors so that when things go missing he is able to solve the case. But there is one resident that may be observing Hermelin! What will he do when he's found out? Hermelin is a mouse who lives in the attic of Number 33 Offley Street. His attic is filled with books and boxes and a typewriter that Hermelin uses to write with. When Hermelin notices that the Offley Street Notices board is filled with people missing things, he knows just what he has to do. So he starts working as a mouse detective and solving the mysteries of Offley Street. He does this by noticing things and then leaving typed notes for the people to help them find their missing items. Then when tragedy almost strikes the youngest person on Offley Street, Hermelin is the one to save the day! Soon everyone wants to know exactly who this Hermelin person is, so they invite him to a thank you party in his honor. He just isn’t quite what they were expecting…

Teaching Ideas and Resources:

Look at the foods in your lunch box (or on your dinner menu). What do the ingredients come from? Could you plot these on a map? How might they travel around the world to reach your table? At the end of the story, there is a piece of paper in the typewriter. Can you write a story about ‘The Mystery of the Missing Moggies’? This unit of work is based on Hermelin: The Detective Mouse by Mini Grey. Hermelin is the most helpful, yet smallest resident of Offley Street, always helping his neighbours solve their mysteries.

urn:lcp:hermelindetectiv0000grey:epub:dace9ecb-8c0c-49ae-8404-591e082215d8 Foldoutcount 0 Identifier hermelindetectiv0000grey Identifier-ark ark:/13960/t21d0dq43 Invoice 1652 Isbn 0385754337 Hermelin begins by looking for Mrs. Mattison’s lost handbag. Being a mouse who is very observant and who remembers what he sees, he soon finds the handbag in her fridge behind the lettuce. He then finds Dr. Parker’s glasses. Hermelin saw Dr. Parker wearing those same glasses just that morning and at the time she was reading a book, Medical Monthly. It turns out that the glasses are inside the book. Some people think that mice are ‘pests’. Can you create a new story about a pest that becomes a hero? The drawings were quite cute and we were conflicted about which ones to redraw! Ultimately he liked the one with Hermelin's new friend! It’s a terrible thing for Hermelin to be so cruelly misjudged, especially when the mouse’s single aim is to help the hapless people of Offley Street.Hermelin has some binoculars. How do these work? Can you describe how we are able to see things? How do our eyes work? I wouldn't necessarily use this book as a read aloud, because I think the illustrations and structure of the writing is fun for students to examine closely on their own. I would include this book in my classroom library for students to read in their free time and would recommend it to students who are not yet able to read text with complex vocabulary and dense writing. I might use this book in a "theme" study and ask students to identify the message of the book and relate it to a real life circumstance. This book is also a wonderful demonstration of different ways complex picture books can be written and why attention to detail is beneficial when piecing together the mystery and understanding the story. This book also has potential to discuss foreshadowing events and making inferences. Every time he finds one of the missing objects Hermelin leaves the owner of the missing object a type-written note telling him or her where it is. Soon, Hermelin is a neighborhood hero and the people he has helped invite him to a party. They never imagine that their secretive little helper is a rodent. Hermelin is a type of cheese from the Czech Republic. Can you find out more about this country and write a report about it?

At the end of the story, Hermelin and Emily work together to solve crimes. Can you think of ways that animals help humans to achieve different tasks? Use relative clauses beginning with who, which, where, when, whose, that or an omitted relative pronoun The dictionary definition of ‘mouse’ shows that Hermelin is a ‘pest’. What other creatures are thought of as pests? This was a fun and endearing read which has the versatility to be used throughout the key stages, particularly because the depth and detail of Grey’s illustrations allows for so much exploration at any age. There is a montage-like overlapping to her pictures which is not only creative, but which perfectly builds the anticipation and drama surrounding the events on Offley Street. This is so entertaining, and she recreates the typically punchy crime story in a way that feels familiar, yet is presented in an inventive way requiring a high level of participation from the reader. SR: 712626], Hardcover, [EAN: 9780385754330], Knopf Books for Young Readers, Knopf Books for Young Readers, Book, [PU: Knopf Books for Young Readers], 2014-08-05, Knopf Books for Young R… More...Access-restricted-item true Addeddate 2020-01-24 09:05:48 Boxid IA1765421 Camera USB PTP Class Camera Collection_set printdisabled External-identifier Look at the collection of books and notes in Hermelin’s attic. How many different kinds of text can you think of? Each plan comprises 15 sessions to teach a small number of key writing skills from the national curriculum. Throughout the unit of work, pupils are given the opportunity to repeatedly practise these skills through meaningful short pieces of writing linked to the text. This builds towards a final extended writing task in which pupils can apply the skills with confidence and independence.