A cute and humorous look at sibling rivalry and bickering. Harvey Muskrat and his older sister, Mildred, try to one-up each other with the exciting things they are doing this summer, like a party or secret club, to which the other isn't invited.

I like the minimal but amusing impact of the parents on a story that is truly about the kids working things out for themselves. ( )

Note: I accessed digital review copies of this book through Edelweiss and NetGalley. ( )

I have two children who did not get along very well when they were younger. Just like Harvey and Mildred, they had their own friends and did not want the other hanging around. You can tell this is a reissue from an earlier published book (1980) based on the writing of lines as a punishment. I didn't like some of the mean things they said to one another, but at the end they realize that they have each other and need to make concessions for behaviours. I did really like the illustrations, they were bright watercolour type of drawing with a lot of detail. I am not sure if I would read this book to my grandchildren or not. I have mixed feelings about it. The publisher generously provided me with a copy of this book via Netgalley. ( )

Siblings can be the best of friends and the worst of enemies all in one day. This story shows the love/hate relationship of Harvey and Mildred. They reminded me of my own children and my kids would have loved playing in Harvey's Hideout. This was a fun book to read. ( )

Harvey's Hideout is the first book I remember holding in my hand as a very small, pre-preschool aged child.

It is the charming story of two muskrat siblings, Harvey and Mildred, who are having some "issues" getting along. Harvey is the "stupid, no-good" little brother who annoys his older sister Mildred, who in turn is "mean and rotten." In truth (and as their muskrat father wisely points out) neither is really stupid, no-good, mean or rotten. They just seem that way to each other. Ah...memories of childhood.

Not that my older sister was never quite as mean to me as Mildred was nor was I ever quite as bratty or annoying as Harvey. Still, the colorful illustrations depicting the idyllic family life of a muskrat family charmed me and provided ample fodder for my imagination. I wanted a party dress like Mildred's and fantasized that when I ran away from home, I'd carry my belonging in a bindle (bag on a stick) like Harvey.

I found this book several years ago at a second-hand book store and reading it as an adult, I was happy to see that it hasn't lost its charm. I still love the colorful illustrations which probably endeared muskrats to generations of readers, which was a feat in itself. I mean, I've seen muskrats in person, and they are not this adorable. But, I must say, this time around, I appreciated the book's very realistic portrayal of sibling interactions.

Then there was the joy of finding all of the things that went over my head as a child (which were probably snuck in just to give parents a chuckle) for instance the part where the muskrat children list all the children in the neighborhood and the reasons they may or may not be suitable playmates...(they are not allowed to get mixed up with the weasels).

Hilarious.

Reading this as an adult reminded me what a gift siblings can be. At the end of the day, all you really have is each other and that's a lot. What a nice lesson to find in a children's book.

I wonder if this book is the real reason my sisters and I always got along so well. ( )