A young girl named Olivia doesn’t like it when her mom calls her by the nickname “Mouse.” Every time her mom does this, it transforms Olivia (perhaps only in her imagination) into an actual mouse, leading to some challenges, like escaping the family cat or being stepped on by her soccer teammates. She wonders how to get her mom to stop, and one day at the park, decides not to answer until her mom calls her by her real name.
Her mom realizes what she’s done, apologizes, and explains that the pet name was a sign of love. Olivia is mollified—but then hears her friends’ parents calling to them, all by pet names. A colorful two-page spread shows humorous images of parents and children with the children depicted as their nicknames—a Pumpkin, a Sweet Pea, etc. A two-mom and a two-dad family are among this group, which is diverse in racial and ethnic identities as well.
The story reaches an even funnier conclusion when Olivia and her mom go to the movies with Olivia’s grandpa. He calls Olivia’s mom by his pet name for her, “Little Chicken,” causing her mom to transform accordingly!
An end page shows other nickname-motivated transformations, some in other languages. Olivia and her family are Black. Her mom could be read as a single mom, as no dad is shown.
A light-hearted book that shows the love behind nicknames, but that also suggests (without explicitly stating) that they shouldn’t be given without permission.
