Kelley has created a charming cast of characters and an effective narrative to teach children about gossip. Blabber Mouse likes to talk about anything and everything, including friends' secrets that shouldn't be revealed. At school, he is something of a disruption until, after a particularly bad day, his teacher and mice classmates come up with an elaborate plan to cure Blabber of his compulsive chatter. Their compassion is a fine example for children, who most certainly have at least one Blabber in their classes. The author shows the negative effects of talking about other people, while keeping the tone light with bright cartoon pages and humorous idiosyncrasies, such as the teacher's tattoo. The text is lively, though it goes a bit overboard with examples of Blabber's excessive talking. Still, the book addresses a common problem directly, and with levity. Holly T. Sneeringer, St. Mark School, Baltimore, MD Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc