Tip the Mouse

Tip feels very “free” today. After coming home from kindergarten, there’s no way he’s going to pay attention to what his Mom’s says. He decides that rules are boring and useless. You have to obey them at school, and now at home too? The more he thinks about it, the more he gets upset. Tip doesn’t need any rules! In fact, “no rules” is the only rule worth following. “Alright,” says Mom. “If you really believe that, then let's try it your way and see.” Will a day without rules be sufficient to change Tip’s mind?

Tip and his Mom are visiting Jody and Marilou. The pups are pretending to be wizards, jumping and chanting to cast a spell. But Jody’s little brother is napping so they should lower their voices. “It's totally impossible, wizards are noisy!”, argues Tip. So his Mom suggests that they could play at their home, since Tippy is staying with the grandparents. And it’s so much more fun to play without a little brother or sister around! In fact, it would be even better to make them disappear...and Tip knows what to do: they only have to say the magic formula...“Shazam!”. But how will Tip react sitting at the table for dinner and noticing that Tippy is not there, and most of all, seeing a flat plant eerily looking like Tippy's head?!

Tip is having a picnic by the riverside with his and Billy’s family. He is playing with Billy and his sister Offy, having a great time dumping seaweed on his head and pretending to be a smelly seaweed monster! When he gets back home, he refuses to take a bath, as Tip still wants to play tag with Jody and Betty. But Betty seems to prefer playing with Jody all the time, and won’t even stand anywhere near Tip, which hurts his feelings. Tip will soon learn that it would have been better to listen to his mom’s advice and taking that bath!

While Mom and Dad go to visit friends, Tip and Tippy will have to stay with their aunts, spending the night at their house. But Tip is not happy. He likes visiting his aunts, but it’s not fair that Mommy and Daddy go away and have fun without him! Besides, this is the first time he and Tippy have to sleep over at their aunts’ place and he will definitely get bored! He doesn’t stop whining throughout the car ride, but his parents are going to see their friends despite of all his mourning. Is he going to be in a sulk the whole night, or will he have fun after all with a surprise treasure hunt?

Tip is playing in the playground with Jody and his other friends. Tip climbs up the jungle gym and Betty praises him when he comes down: “You’re so good, how you do that?” Tip has an explanation: he’s so good because...he is a boy... And we all know, boys are better than girls! He goes on, unabashed, naively explaining that boys have done only the best things, and girls can’t do any of them...right? Betty, clearly upset, gives him a bad look and goes away. But Tip will soon discover that girls can be just as good as or even better than boys at some things!

Lily, a neighbour and friend of Tip’s Mom, comes to visit. She brings along Gugu, her 18-month-old son. Tip’s Mom has arranged a play date for the kids, but Gugu immediately picks up one of Tip’s toys. “Hey, wait, you’re going to break that!” Then Gugu picks up another one, and starts licking it! Even worse, it’s his favourite toy airplane! Well, Tip doesn’t want him playing with his toys. In fact, he’s going to make sure he doesn’t! But he will eventually figure out that it’s better to play together, because that's how you become friends.