Little Mitchell: The Story of a Mountain Squirrel

In Short

Little Mitchell: The Story of a Mountain Squirrel is an affectionate, observations-driven nature narrative following the rescue and domestication of an orphaned gray squirrel. Found helpless on Mount Mitchell in North Carolina, the infant animal is sheltered, hand-reared, and carried on a long journey through mountain valleys, Hartford, and eventually Boston. Through daily playful antics, travel adventures, and a tragic encounter with phosphorus matches, the book offers a tender, detail-oriented account of human-animal companionship, illustrating how wild creatures adapt to domestic affection.

The Story

The narrative opens in the mountain forests of North Carolina, where a traveling lady visits a remote log-cabin family, bearing small gifts like dolls and jack-knives for the isolated children. While ascending Mount Mitchell alongside a local guide, she discovers a helpless, fallen baby gray squirrel—eyes still closed, barely clinging to life. Unable to abandon the shivering creature, she tucks him into her flannel waist, where he falls asleep. Upon reaching shelter, she feeds him condensed milk off her fingertip, naming him Little Mitchell after the peak where he was found.

Thus begins a long, gentle journey out of the wilderness. Traveling by foot, carriage, and jolting lumber wagon through mountain paths and deep river fords, the lady guards the growing baby. They pause at a rustic retreat inhabited by a household of clever cats—including the matriarch Grandma and her offspring—who, surprisingly, leave the tiny guest unharmed. As Little Mitchell grows, he learns to drink water from a glass, eat solid food like chinkapins and sweet apples, and play enthusiastically with his rescuer.

When the time comes to return North, Little Mitchell embarks on a series of train rides. On the journey to Hartford and later Boston, his inquisitive and mischievous nature fully emerges. He explores train seats, demands bites of cream cheese sandwiches, hides in coat pockets, and plays elaborate games of hide-and-seek among couch pillows. In Hartford, he even poses for a formal photographer, though only after repeatedly jumping onto his lady’s head or darting out of frame.

Settled in a Boston apartment, Little Mitchell enjoys a rich routine. He undergoes a daily grooming session where he teasingly fights the hairbrush, takes naps in a suspended wrapper sleeve, and offers soft licks of affection. However, his endless curiosity leads to a grave accident: he opens a matchbox and licks the phosphorus heads. Though he survives the immediate poisoning, the toxic ingestion severely damages his health, leaving his hind legs crippled and stiff like those of an elderly man with rheumatism.

Despite his physical decline, Little Mitchell matures into his full adult coat, displaying striking gray and reddish-brown markings. The lady adapts to his needs, gently massaging his back and hind legs every morning to ease his stiffness—a ritual he acknowledges with appreciative nods. He continues to find joy in simple domestic pleasures, climbing draperies, nestling into improvised cloth hammocks, and staying continuously close to his devoted companion.

How It Unfolds

The mountain discovery While climbing Mount Mitchell in North Carolina, a traveling lady finds a tiny, cold gray squirrel that has fallen from its treetop nest. She shelters the helpless infant inside her flannel waistband and feeds it condensed milk off her finger at a temporary mountain refuge.

Descending to safety Carried down the mountain in a blanket, Little Mitchell travels through rough wilderness paths, open pastures, and valley roads via carriage and lumber wagon. He rests in feather beds at night and visits a rustic mountain home inhabited by a family of remarkably smart cats.

Learning to play and travel As he grows out of infancy, Little Mitchell learns to hop, drink water from a glass, and play like a kitten under bedcovers. He accompanies his lady on a long train journey North, exploring sitting rooms, hiding in coat pockets, and posing for a studio photographer in Hartford.

Life in Boston Arriving at his permanent home in Boston, the squirrel establishes a lively routine of daily coat-brushing, playing with strings, and sharing fruit and nuts. He shows intense devotion to his lady, refusing to interact with strangers or leave her side.

Accident and gentle care Driven by curiosity, Little Mitchell licks the chemical heads of matches, causing severe phosphorus poisoning. Though he survives the initial crisis, the poison leaves his hind legs permanently weakened, prompting his lady to provide daily physical massage and crafted hammocks for his comfort.

The People

The Lady The central human figure, she is a patient, compassionate traveler who rescues Little Mitchell from the mountain floor. She wants to nurture the orphaned creature into health and provide him with a safe, engaging environment. Facing the challenges of traveling with a fragile wild animal and managing his eventual paralysis, she responds with endless devoted care, daily physical therapy, and deep affection.

Little Mitchell The primary subject of the book, he is an orphaned gray squirrel who seeks warmth, food, and companionship. Initially helpless, he develops a fiery, highly affectionate, and intensely loyal personality. He resists handling by anyone other than his rescuer, playfully struggles against grooming brushes, and shows surprising resilience after a debilitating chemical accident leaves him physically impaired.

Grandma and the Mountain Cats A family of feline residents at the mountain log house, led by the clever matriarch Grandma. Grandma wants to protect her litters from disappearing, strategically hiding her kittens in a distant hay barn. Despite their predatory instincts, Grandma, Lady Ann, Jack, Hallet, and Goliah accept the tiny squirrel's presence without harming him.

In Its Own Voice

"The lady dipped the end of her finger in the milk and put it in Little Mitchell’s mouth."

This simple act saves the starving, newly found baby squirrel on the cold slopes of Mount Mitchell.

"There he lay, on his back, with his head resting on the edge of the box and his arms up over his head, for all the world like a hot, tired, human little baby."

During a warm night in Hartford, the young squirrel's humanlike sleeping posture delights his companion.

"He would gently knead the muscles of his back, and then of his hind legs, one after the other."

Following his tragic poisoning, the lady routinely massages Mitchell's stiff limbs to comfort his failing legs.

What It's Really About

Underneath its simple narrative structure, the book explores the capacity for deep emotional connection between humans and wild animals. It presents animal keeping not as ownership, but as a reciprocal relationship rooted in attentive observation, respect, and mutual trust. The text repeatedly contrasts the wild origins of the creature with his complete emotional integration into human domestic life, suggesting that affection and patient handling can bridge the gap between human and animal worlds. Additionally, the story highlights the fragility of small lives, emphasizing responsibility, gentle stewardship, and the quiet dignity of caring for an injured, dependent companion through physical decline.

Why Read It Today

Little Mitchell appeals directly to readers who appreciate classic nature writing, intimate animal memoirs, and historical children's literature. Reading it feels like sitting beside a calm, observant storyteller who pays meticulous attention to the subtle habits, movements, and expressions of a small creature. The narrative radiates a quiet, unhurried warmth that makes the simple routines of grooming, feeding, and playing genuinely engaging.

The prose is remarkably straightforward, though modern readers should be prepared for the gentle, instructive tone typical of turn-of-the-twentieth-century juvenile non-fiction. The book also reflects period attitudes toward rural mountain communities, framed through a benevolent but distinctly outsider perspective, alongside casual local dialect renderings. Despite these early 1900s stylistic traits, the book's core—its unsentimental precision regarding animal behavior and the enduring bond between the lady and her crippled squirrel—remains touching, leaving a lingering impression of tenderness and dedicated care.