Breeze Aguilar:

In the Kingdom of Dor resides one rodent, armed with just a needle and spool of red thread, more epic than any other. He escaped his imprisonment with only his quick wit and a nice story, fell in love with a princess and was born with his eyes wide open, when all his siblings were born blind. His name is Despereaux Tilling and he’s lived a life we can only dream to have. There is no rodent, fictional or real, that could possibly be more epic than him.

Sure, other rodents may be more popular or well known than our epic hero Despereaux. Remy from Ratatouille, for example, is loved all around the world, but the little chef simply couldn’t do half the things Desperaux did – at half Remy’s size too. Stuart Little was a family man. His wits don’t match Despereaux’s and he’s not even half adventurous. Mickey Mouse is a capitalist swine, a member of the bourgeoisie, something our faithful hero of the working class Despereaux could never be.

Growing up having read stories about daring knights, dear Desperaux grew up to be one. He has the wits and bravery of a true knight, something rare in other rodents. While physically tiny (seriously, it’s an anomaly how small he is in comparison to his ginormous ears), Despereaux stands tall and mighty above all other rodents and, dare I say, animals.

Brooke Saaty:

Who is the best fictional rodent? Reepicheep 

Loyal, brave, kind and honorable. That is the perfect description of Reepicheep, the mouse from the Narnia series. Reepicheep may not be the main character of the series, but, his heart of gold and willingness to fight for his friends more than makes up for that. 

Reepicheep first appears in the Narnia series in the book Prince Caspian, where Reepicheep fights alongside his friends in a battle against an evil king. Reepicheep’s one fault is that he can be a little vain, as he is very concerned over the loss of his tail during the battle. Yet, Reepicheep does not let that flaw stop him from doing what is right. He did not let fear of messing up his looks prevent him from standing up against the evil king or from helping his friends.

Reepicheep appears again in the book Voyage of the Dawn Treader where he accompanies his friends to explore the farthest edges of the Narnia world. Reepicheep heads into the adventure with the loyalty and courage that he displays in everything he does, despite the danger. At the beginning of the book, Reepicheep is the victim of bullying from another character, Eustace. However, Reepicheep never backs down from Eustace, once again showcasing his courage. Reepicheep also demonstrates his kind heart when he forgives Eustace when Eustance has a change of heart. Reepicheep even helps Eustance after Eustance gets turned into a dragon. The two characters actually become quite close. 

Thus, there can be no doubt that Reepicheep has an enormous heart and is a very kind individual. Reepicheep has the courage to stand up for what he believes in and fights for his friends. He is honorable, loyal and brave. What person would not want to be friends with a mouse like Reepicheep? He is clearly the best fictional rodent.