Mouse's First Snow

April 1, 2006
PreS-Gr 2 -With the same tender charm that has made other books about Mouse's first experiences popular, Thompson and Erdogan explore the joy that comes with a first encounter with snow. Mouse gets to sled, skate, and build a grand snow house with his father's unswerving support. -Good for you! - exclaims Poppa after Mouse swishes down a hill. Other efforts are encouraged with -Hooray!, - -Good work!, - and -Wonderful! - Finally the two build -A frosty little snow mouse just like you! - and the book concludes with wishes for a -Happy winter. - In the sweet acrylic paintings, the snow is cool and luminous, yet the scenes remain warm. Child-friendly language, complete with some simple sound effects and repeated phrases, make this title a solid winter read-aloud." -Piper L. Nyman, formerly at Fairfield Civic Center Library, CA"

Copyright 2006 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

November 15, 2005
PreS-K. The creators of books such as " Mouse's First Halloween " (2000) and " Mouse's First Spring " (2005) offer a new picture book in which the familiar little mouse encounters snow for the first time. Poppa shows Mouse the many ways of enjoying winter: sledding, skating, and making snow angels, a snow house, and even a large-scale snow mouse. Suitably brief, the text uses plenty of sound words to accompany activities, such as "Swish, wish!" as the father sweeps large angel wings in the snow and "Flap, flop!" for Mouse's first attempt at making wings. "Wonderful!" exclaims Poppa. In the paintings, simple, rounded forms predominate, and dabs of white brighten the scenes as light reflects off the cool blue snow. For all the ice and snow depicted, this picture book continually radiates warmth as this happy little mouse and loving father enjoy a day together. Preschool teachers will want to have this pleasing picture book on hand for reading aloud as the snowflakes start to fall. (Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2005, American Library Association.)