mouse

PPBF: Little Mouse’s Big Breakfast

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Author/Illustrator: Christine Pym
Publisher: Nosy Crow, 2018
Age: 3-7
Themes: mice, breakfast, hunger

Opening:  On a cold crisp day, as the night crept in, a hungry little mouse discovered he had nothing to nibble for breakfast the next morning.

Summary: (from my library catalog) When Little Mouse realizes he has nothing for breakfast the next morning, he makes his way to the kitchen next door and finds all sorts of appetizing foods that will be perfect for his breakfast..

I like this book because: I’ve been thinking a lot of my friend who lives on Blueberry Hill, and reading this reminded me of her, not because her eyes are bigger than her belly, but her heart is so generous! And it’s got beautiful illustrations sprinkled with fun details, a delicious palette, striking compositions – and an adorable story!

Resources/activities: discuss your favorite breakfast foods; talk about Mouse’s food choices and which ones are healthy and why; consider filling our plates with our eyes compared to our appetites; gather objects and give them food names from the book, then see how many you can stack before it all tumbles down.

For more Perfect Picture Book Friday picks with teacher/parent resources, check out the list on Susanna Hill’s blog  HERE.

I’m also over at Writer’s Rumpus today talking about I’M A HARE SO THERE!, with a GIVEAWAY!

PPBF: Mice Twice

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Author/Illustrator: Joseph Low
Publisher: Margaret K McElderry (Atheneum), 1980
Age: 3-8
Themes: animals, etiquette, humorous stories
Opening: Cat was thinking about supper. He thought, “I could eat forty-seven grasshoppers. or I could eat 69 crickets. Or I could eat a fine, fat sparrow. But what I think I’d really like is a nice, tender mouse.

Summary: A round of uneasy hospitality results when Mouse and Dog arrive at Cat’s house for dinner.

I like this book because: first off, I’m not alone – this title is a 1981 Caldecott Honor book. I love the loose, energetic rendering and use of a simple yet bright palette, dominated by pinks and yellows. That’s what attracted me to this book I found at Brattle Bookshop in Boston this spring, but it’s the round robin tale of trickery and wit and the drama of it all that delighted me so very much! Hope you can find a copy.

Resources/activities: learn more about Low, his obituary here; look for other titles on the Caldecott list from 1981; perform this story as a play.

There is a summer break for new entries, but for more Perfect Picture Book Friday picks with teacher/parent resources, check out the list on Susanna Hill’s blog  HERE.

Around the corner from Brattle Bookshop, the Make Way for Ducklings sculptures in Boston Commons (dressed as RBGs!)

PPBF: Anatole

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AnatoleCoverAuthor: Eve Titus
Illustrator: Paul Galdone
Publisher: McGraw-Hill, 1956
Age: 4-8
Themes: mice, cheese, fairness
Opening: In all France there was no happier, more contented mouse than Anatole.

AnatoletitlepageSummary: (from my library catalog) A French mouse decides to earn an honest living by tasting the cheese in a cheese factory and leaving notes about its quality.

Anatole1Why I like this book: Looks like I am sort of stuck in the past again (will try better next time)! I love the limited color palette set against the black and white ink-wash and Galdone’s loose yet confident style, illustrating a sweet classic story of a French mouse on a mission to change!

Anatole3.pngResources/Activities: come up with a secret way to make someone else’s life or lives better without looking for recognition, like leaving flowers on a doorstep, or mowing someone’s lawn while they are out – or even sending a secret note to make someone smile!

Anatole2For more Perfect Picture Book picks with teacher/parent resources, check out the list on Susanna Hill’s blog HERE.

Anatole