Mouse's First Christmas

October 1, 2002
Clement C. Moore to the contrary, a curious mouse is indeed stirring in Mouse's First Christmas by Lauren Thompson, illus. by Buket Erdogan, now available in a board book edition.

October 4, 1999
Rich shades of evergreen, cranberry and midnight blue thinly applied to canvas form the inviting backdrop for this tale of a curious young mouse who explores the sensory delights of Christmas Eve, from things that are "sweet and sparkly" (a cookie) to "jingly and glinty" (a jingle bell)--even "whiskery and jolly" (guess who?). Thompson's dynamic phrasing is amplified by Erdogan's large-scale compositions and by the type design ("It was a cookie" is set as a circle; the line "It was a jingle bell" curves like an arc). The debut author and artist make much from a simple premise. Ages 2-6.