The castle box opens flat into a bedroom with a chandelier printed on the back wall, seven little mattresses stack up on the bed, and the mouse in the crown climbs to the top of the pile to sleep. In the morning she rides out of the story in a coral pumpkin on four spoked wheels that really roll, with a printed cord off the front so a child can walk her across the floor. One set gives her both halves of the tale: somewhere to put her to bed, and something to carry her away in.

What's in the box

• Princess and the Pea Set, Big Sister Mouse: seven fabric mattresses in coral, tan, floral and pink that stack inside a printed card castle, with a lace edged blanket, a pillow, and a mouse in a coral floral dress and a crown. Big sister size, about 13 cm (5 in). Maileg item 17-5208-00.
• Mouse Pumpkin Carriage: a soft coral pumpkin cut with an arched doorway, on four coral painted spoked wheels that really roll, with a printed cotton stem and flag on top. 24 cm (9.45 in) tall, 19 cm (7.48 in) wide, 14 cm (5.51 in) deep. Maileg item 11-5409-00.

Both pieces are built around Big sister size, the Maileg mouse that stands about 13 cm (5 in) tall. The princess who arrives in the castle box is the one who rides in the carriage, which is why these two live in one box: one is where she sleeps and one is how she travels. Any Big brother or Big sister size mouse already in the house fits the carriage too, so nothing sits idle on the shelf.

Buy it for the child who already knows the story and wants to play it out on the rug rather than hear it again. Once the carriage is rolling, she will want the rest of the Maileg mice and their furniture.