I chose voles because I had been thinking about them recently at the time of the book. We had a lot of voles in the garden, and they would be completely fearless around us.
Voles are often confused with mice but are different in that they are rounder and have a shorter tail. Voles are common pests, and are known to eat the bark of small trees and cut paths in grass to find their other favorite food: roots. Sadly, eating the roots often kills the plant. Because of this diet, they are not often found in houses. Voles even pick one mate to stay with for life, and are somewhat social. Studies have shown that voles are capable of empathy, and will groom hurt or mistreated members more than others. This was previously thought to be something only highly intelligent creatures were capable of, like
elephants and apes. Even though voles eat garden plants, they seem valiant!
Cites:
“Vole.” Wikipedia, 29 Nov. 2020, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vole. Accessed 30 Nov. 2020.
My Favorite Animals ABC 