Mouse's First Valentine

January 1, 2002
The star of Mouse's First Christmas and Mouse's First Halloween gets a heart-shaped card from big sister Minka in Mouse's First Valentine by Lauren Thompson, illus. by Buket Erdogan. As Minka collects the materials to make it paste, ribbon and lace Little Mouse sneaks behind her, each time asking "What could it be?" Minka answers each question on the following page. " `Red paper!' said Minka./ Just what I need.' " Erdogan's velvety palette in rosy tones warms the pages.

March 1, 2002
PreS-Gr 1-When little Mouse's big sister sneaks into the house, Mouse follows behind, trying to guess what she is looking for. Eventually, Minka creates a beautiful card for her younger sibling and states, "This valentine is just for YOU on Valentine's Day-because-" and finishes with "I love you" written on her creation. Erdogan's muted, chalky illustrations are delightful. Young children will enjoy guessing along with little Mouse as Minka finds "something white and holey." "What could it be? wondered Mouse." There are not very many picture books about Valentine's Day for this age group, and most of them seem to be set in classrooms. A sweet, refreshing selection for holiday collections and storyhours.-Bina Williams, Bridgeport Public Library, CT

Copyright 2002 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 1, 2002
Gr. 1-2. From the Rookie Choices series, these simple stories feature three good friends who call themselves the Corner Kids. In "Box," they find a large cardboard carton. Three J (Jeffery James Judson) wants to make it into a fort, but Gabby prefers a race car, and Alex, a pirate ship. They pull the box in different directions, until it slightly rips. At Three J's suggestion, they stop tugging and start talking until they compromise and make the box into a clubhouse. In "Game," Gabby ensures her team's victory in a tee ball game by sticking the ball to the tee with gum. Later, she regrets her poor judgment and confesses, causing her team to forfeit the game. Kids who have actually played tee ball may have trouble getting beyond the physical implausibility of Gabby's trick. Those who keep going will sympathize. "Game "is about sportsmanship, while "Box" focuses on communication. Adults concerned about character education will, no doubt, be pleased to have the thematic value of each book pointed out in large letters on a separate page before the actual story begins, while children can be counted on to skip over that page to get to the good parts. The expressive ink-and-watercolor-wash illustrations create a light, appealing look for the multicultural cast of characters. (Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2002, American Library Association.)