Mirabel's Missing Valentines

February 1, 2019

PreS-Gr 1-Mirabel is a shy mouse with lots of determination. Despite her nervousness she makes Valentine's Day cards for her classmates. In spite of her trepidation, she slowly makes her way to school on the fateful day. Unbeknownst to her, the cards have fallen from a hole in her bag and have brightened the day of each person (animal) who picked one up-a lonely lady, construction workers, a busy papa, a jogger, a garbage man. Arriving at school with an empty bag Mirabel cried, "I've lost my Valentines!!" Hearing her cry, smiling folks return her cards and thanking her for sharing them, if only for a little while. Emboldened by unintentionally making new friends, Mirabel joins in the fun at party time. As she skips home from school, her pals slip more valentines into her bag. Lawler's rhyming text is a pleasure to read. Using muted colors and plenty of detail, Mueller's digital illustrations are warm and cozy with a small town feel. The opening endpapers depict Mirabel's path to school and the folks she'll encounter while the back pages depict those same folks exchanging their own valentines. VERDICT This sweetly inspiring story of a timid mouse stepping outside her comfort zone is a winner. Great for Valentine's or any day.-Catherine Callegari, Gay-Kimball Library, Troy, NH

Copyright 2019 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 1, 2018
A shy mouse gains some courage and some new friends, bringing the town together in the process. Mirabel has always been very shy, but nevertheless she crafts homemade cards for her classmates for Valentine's Day. The nervous girl forces her steps toward school but fails to notice the hole in her bag that lets the cards drop one by one in front of delighted townspeople: a lonely old woman with an empty mailbox, workers digging a hole, a father with a child, a gummed-up jogger, and "A garbage man enduring / yet another rotten smell / chuckled as he grabbed a scrap / before the scooper fell" (the only awkward line in the otherwise spot-on rhyming verse). But they all hear Mirabel cry out when she discovers her empty bag, and they return the cards: "Thanks for sharing them with us, / if only for a while." That boost of confidence gets Mirabel through her class party, and on her walk home, her collection grows as her new friends add their own cards. Opening endpapers show Mirabel's path to school and the local folks she will cross paths with; in the closing ones, the folks are now interacting with one another, lonely no more. Mueller's digital artwork shows a town full of cuddly anthropomorphic animals. Mirabel is a white mouse. This may not help similarly shy kids, but it may give readers some inspiration. (Picture book. 4-8)

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December 15, 2018
Preschool-G Though shy mouse Mirabel is nervous about Valentine's Day, she still makes cards for classmates. But, while walking to school (unbeknownst to Mirabel), the valentines fall out of her bag. Happily, however, several passersby find them and are warmed by their sentiments: Construction workers sweating / as they dug around a pole / laughed to find a sweet surprise / half-buried in a hole, as well as a lonely lady, a garbage man, a jogger, and more. Meanwhile, at school, Mirabel discovers her bag is empty, but the people who found the valentines rush to return them: Your cards have made us smile! It all ends on an upbeat note as Mirabel now traded cards with courage and, en route home, receives some unexpected, special valentines. Rhyming stanzas keep the pace peppy, while cute, vibrant cartoon illustrations depict the doe-eyed animal characters in idyllic settings. This entertaining read showcases relatable worries about valentine giving, and offers supportive messages about finding confidence and how the holiday can lead to serendipitous new friends.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)