About We Mouse
Every little friend has a story. Ours begins with Nore.
Before We was a mouse in your pocket, he was a little joke between two people who loved each other.
The little world of We began with Lenore Brown—known as Nore to her family and Lee to her friends—and a life shared with her husband, Chester, whom she affectionately called Brownie.
What began in their everyday conversations became The Adventures of We: an imaginative world of little friends, surprising discoveries, and kindness in the smallest moments.
A little world, lovingly imagined
Once upon a time, Lenore Brown imagined a little mouse named We.
He wasn’t the biggest, bravest, or wisest creature in the meadow. But he was endlessly curious, and his heart always had room for a friend.
Alongside Ima and MeToo, We explored a world of surprises, laughter, questions, and unexpected adventures—from sunbeams dancing through the grass to fireflies, birdsong, and Christmas wishes.
Lenore called him We, the Mouse in Your Pocket.
He was more than a character on a page. He was a little companion, ready to go wherever imagination led.
Through her original drawings and stories, Lenore created a world where even the smallest creatures had something meaningful to share. She imagined We and his friends becoming part of everyday life through note cards, notepads, baby blankets, and nursery art.
Today, her family is carrying that vision forward.
We Mouse brings Lenore’s characters and stories to a new generation through storybook art, meaningful gifts, and everyday keepsakes. Each one reflects the idea at the heart of her work: sometimes the smallest things become the ones we treasure most.
The woman behind We
To her family, she was Nore. To her friends, she was Lee.
Lenore L. Brown was the creator, storyteller, and original artist behind The Adventures of We.
But the people who knew her remember far more than the stories she wrote or the characters she drew. They remember her gentle spirit, her compassion, her quiet sense of humor, and the remarkable way she brought out the best in those around her.
Nore’s faith was not something separate from everyday life. She lived it through kindness, generosity, and the way she treated others.
Long after her passing, those who knew her continue to say they are better people for having known Lenore.
There may be no more beautiful measure of a life well lived.
A simple life, beautifully lived
Nore and Brownie made their home on five acres outside Owasso, Oklahoma, away from the crowds and the hurried pace of everyday life.
They had no children of their own. They had each other, their animals, and a life together they cherished.
They raised chickens and occasionally cattle for their own table. They loved camping, fishing, and the occasional hunting trip. And when they wanted to get away, they often headed to their favorite place—simply called “The Lake”—Table Rock Lake in Missouri.
It was a life that didn’t need to be complicated to be full.
Every little life mattered
Nore never met an animal she couldn’t find something to care about.
Every chicken and cow on their homestead had a name and a personality in Nore’s eyes—even the animals raised for food. If she found a creature that was injured or struggling, she would patiently nurse it by hand. She wouldn’t even kill a spider.
She kept a small shovel in her vehicle. When she came across an animal that had died along the road, she would stop and find a quiet place to bury it where it wouldn’t be disturbed.
To Nore, that life deserved dignity, too.
And then there were the dogs. Over the years, Nore and Brownie shared their home with toy poodles including Miss Button, Charlie, and Hershey. Her last dog, Levi, was a rescued Shetland, remembered with the same affection as the rest. Levi has since passed away, too.
Looking at the world Nore created, we recognize that same gentle regard for living things. In her stories, little creatures have voices, worries, friendships, and lives worth understanding.
In Nore’s world, being small never meant being insignificant.
Two families, and a world that felt like ours
Nore and Brownie had no children, but they were surrounded by people and animals they loved.
Nore’s sister Sandy married Tom Holt, and together they raised three children—Terry, Staci, and Tom—in Northern Indiana.
With Nore and Brownie living in Oklahoma, visits were not an everyday thing. That made the time together especially meaningful.
For Nore’s nieces and nephews, We wasn’t a character first encountered on a bookstore shelf. He was part of a little world their aunt had imagined, drawn, written, and shared with them.
In those moments, it felt as though that world existed just for us.
Back in Oklahoma, Nore and Brownie also had a family of friends and beloved animals. Nore’s capacity to love was never limited by who shared her name or lived under her roof.
The beginning of three little friends
How We, Ima, and MeToo got their names
Some of Nore and Brownie’s most ordinary conversations turned into something unforgettable.
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The Mouse in Your Pocket
We
Brownie might announce a project: “We are gonna build this fence.”
Nore would tease him: “We? You got a mouse in your pocket?”
That playful expression gave We his name—and the phrase by which Nore’s little mouse would become known.
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Getting Right on That
Ima
When Brownie asked Nore to do something, she might reply, “Ima… get right on that.”
From those words came Ima.
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Never One to Be Left Out
MeToo
A little exchange about pie could become another name:
“Ima get a piece of pie.”
“Me too!”
And there was MeToo.
Three expressions from life together became three companions in Nore’s imaginative world. Brownie’s everyday banter helped inspire their names; Lenore brought the characters to life in her original stories and drawings.
These exchanges are recounted from family memories; punctuation represents a readable retelling rather than a verbatim historical transcript.
The history of We
Little stories with something big to say
Long before We Mouse became a collection of storybook-inspired keepsakes, there was The Adventures of We.
Among Lenore’s surviving manuscripts are four adventures that show the range of the world she imagined:
- SunbeamA tiny sunbeam’s search for belonging and the discovery that being small doesn’t make someone less important.
- The MockingbirdA springtime adventure about birdsong, hurt feelings, friendship, and recognizing what others can offer.
- FirefliesA longer woodland adventure full of curiosity, cooperation, humor, and surprising encounters.
- A Christmas WishA story of faith and Christmas wonder, as We and his companions encounter the story of Jesus’ birth.
An original copy of The Mockingbird bears a 1984 copyright notice. Its title page credits Lenore L. Brown for story and artwork, and Chester R. Brown and Lenore L. Brown for music and lyrics.
These surviving manuscripts are more than records of a creative idea. They are the foundation of the world we are preserving.
A dream they wouldn’t change to fit someone else’s idea
Nore and Brownie tried to have the stories published.
But according to family recollections, the people they approached wanted substantial changes—to the characters, the stories, or the world itself. Those changes didn’t feel true to what Nore had created.
Rather than remake We into something else, they held on to the characters and stories they loved.
They still found ways to share that little world. Nore used her illustrated note cards as personal stationery, sending pieces of her imagination to family and friends. Nore and Brownie also hand-produced T-shirts and sweatshirts, selling them at flea markets where sales barely covered the expense of making them.
It was not a commercial success. It was a labor of love.
And through it all, We remained We.
The cardinals
Some little reminders mean more than words.
There’s a story in our family about Nore and the cardinals.
When her sister Sandy or one of Sandy’s children was facing a loss, a hard decision, or a difficult day, we would say Nore sent us cardinals. And sure enough, it often seemed that the next day a bright red cardinal would appear, somewhere we couldn’t help but notice.
Since Nore passed away, cardinals have remained a familiar presence for our family.
We don’t pretend to know why. We know only what they mean to us.
They remind us of Nore: her faith, her kindness, and the comfort she offered so freely.
Sometimes a small thing in the world brings someone we love close to mind.
For us, sometimes that little thing is a cardinal.
The cardinal is a family remembrance, not an original character from Lenore’s manuscripts.
Her imagination. Our promise.
Lenore dreamed of seeing her characters become part of the little things families share: a handwritten note, a blanket welcoming a new baby, or artwork hanging in a child’s room.
Today, her family is carefully making room for those dreams through The Original We Collection and the continuing world of We.
Our responsibility is not to replace Nore’s characters or rewrite her place in their history. It is to protect her original work, preserve what makes her stories recognizable, and introduce them thoughtfully to new generations.
Childhood is filled with big moments—first hellos, new discoveries, acts of kindness, unexpected friendships, and brave beginnings. Sometimes, having a little friend along makes all the difference.
A great story doesn’t have to end when the last page is turned. Sometimes, it simply waits for someone new to open the book.
Welcome to We Mouse.
A brighter tomorrow starts small.