The Tale of Despereaux - Kate DiCamillo
I think I must be drawn to stories with particularly lengthy subtitles; this one is: being the story of a mouse, a princess, some soup, and a spool of thread. And, of course, I am drawn to children's books, and lately it seems that children's books involving mice are also high on the list. There's also the fact that it's a sort of fairy-tale or fable, which I tend to enjoy as well.
In short, this is the story about an unlikely hero with exceptionally large ears. (And the aforementioned princess, some soup, and spool of thread, as well as a jailer, a serving girl, some rats, and a dark dungeon.) A wonderful read with very short chapters, making it an excellent bedtime storybook.
Additional Note: It's since won the Newberry Medal, confirming my suspicions. We now own a copy.