Shortlisted for Illustrator of the Year - British Book Awards 2025

From the internationally best-selling author and illustrator, Mariajo Ilustrajo, comes an interactive page-turner of a picture book. Providing a playful, surprising twist on the classic “unexpected guest” premise, the narrative here is flipped, making humans the unexpected guests in a tale told by mice! 

The mice living happily under the floorboards of a house find their peace is disturbed by some unexpected guests . . . humans! The mice are curious about their guests and set out to investigate. They find weird and wonderful human objects and lots of food, so they decide their guests might not be so bad after all – until our intrepid mouse narrator finds himself caught in a jar!  His friends try to save him but get caught too, and they fear the worst, but they’re set free from the jar . . . and into a cardboard Mouse Land. The humans aren’t so bad after all! But, for the final twist, the mice discover there is one last guest to deal with—and it’s even worse than humans: a CAT!

Providing a full interactive picture book experience, Unexpected Guests features a clever gatefold device that reveals the mice in their home under the floorboards, while die cut holes can be found on the front and back cover. These elements elevate the fast-paced and funny story and bring to life Mariajo’s irresistible artwork, resulting in what is sure to become a firm family favourite.