Only the Lonely! The Big House and the Little House by Yoshi Fujishima

ON A GENTLE SLOPE ROSE A LONG, LONG ROAD. AT ONE END WAS A LITTLE HOUSE, STANDING ALONE.

AT THE OTHER END OF THE ROAD WAS A BIG HOUSE, SURROUNDED BY TREES.

In the little house lives Mouse, who goes down the hill to work every day in the town bakery. In the big house lives Bear, who goes up the the hill each day to work in the forest. Both of them are lonely but they never meet during the week. But one Sunday they both decide to do something different. Mouse walks up the hill toward the forest. Bear starts downhill toward the town. They pass on the road but Bear's steps are so long and Mouse is so small that they don't even see each other. And when they reach their destinations, Mouse feels even more alone when he sees the happy piknickers in the woods, and Bear sees that he is the only one not shopping with friends or sharing a snack at an outdoor restaurant.

Both of them head back to to their houses, feeling more lonely than ever. But this time the two cross paths in front of Bear's house.

"HELLO!" SAYS MOUSE.

HELLO!" SAYS BEAR. "I LIVE HERE. WOULD YOU LIKE TO HAVE A CUP OF TEA?"

The two have a wonderful conversation and agree to meet for tea at Mouse's house on the following Sunday. But when Bear strikes out for Mouse's little house, a terrible storm strikes. The road floods, and Bear fears that Mouse's little house will be washed away.

"HOLD TIGHT, LITTLE MOUSE, I HAVE AN IDEA!"

And Mouse is lucky that his new friend Bear is big and strong enough to re-locate Mouse's tiny house under a sheltering tree right beside his own, where they can meet for tea anytime, in Yoshi Fujishma's sweet story of friendship found, The Big House and the Little House (Levine Querido, 2021). Emiko Fujishima's simple pastel illustrations add to the charm of this a cheery tale that says that an unexpected companion may be right under your nose, waiting for a simple invitation. "Tender and companionable," says Kirkus Reviews.