Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH Chapter 1 Summary

The Sickness of Timothy Frisby

  • Mrs. Frisby is a field mouse who lives with her family in a cozy cinder-block house in the middle of a farm. The family calls this house their winter-house and they move into it when the forest gets too cold for their chilly little mouse noses. 
  • Mrs. Frisby's husband died mysteriously last year, which makes winter an especially hard time for the Frisby fam. But luckily, Mrs. Frisby is good at making a little food go a long way.
  • Mrs. Frisby goes out to search for breakfast and finds a whole bunch of corn and seeds in a stump. Yum. Who needs Pop-Tarts?
  • Just when things are going so well, Mrs. Frisby learns that her youngest son, Timothy, is too sick to get out of bed. Good thing she bought all of those tiny lozenges, huh?
  • Theresa worries that Timothy will not be able to get out of bed in time for Moving Day, which is a Big Problem.
  • Even though she is worried about Timothy, Mrs. Frisby knows that she has to go back to the stump to collect the rest of the food. Maybe Pop-Tarts would have been easier after all. 
  • When they return, Mrs. Frisby is horrified to see how much worse off Timothy is. 
  • Mrs. Frisby decides that she must leave immediately find Mr. Ages, who—she hopes—will have medicine that can save Timothy.