Mouse's First Spring

April 1, 2005
PreS -On a breezy spring day, Mouse discovers various creatures. He wonders what each one is, and his mother patiently identifies a butterfly, bird, snail, frog, and worm. Each animal departs on a gust of wind, and, in the end, Mouse himself is carried away, but lands safely in his mother's loving arms. This gentle story is just right for toddlers who, like Mouse, are encountering new things every day. The brief text is full of wonderfully descriptive phrases, such as "fluttery buttery," "hidey insidey," and "squiggly squeeze." The simple, double-page illustrations are done in bright, colorful acrylics, just right for holding the attention of the youngest storytime attendee. A surefire hit in any season." -Elaine Lesh Morgan, Multnomah County Library, Portland, OR"

Copyright 2005 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 1, 2005
PreS. When Mouse and his momma venture out on a spring day, they discover a butterfly, a snail, a bird, a frog, a worm, and a flower. Each new discovery mystifies the little mouse: "There on a stem, Mouse found something sweet and petally." Or is he bluffing? In any case, young children will be glad to help him identify each one with help from the rounded, simplified forms in Erdogan's painterly illustrations. The wind blows through at intervals, creating a pattern in the story line, while the rhythmic and sometimes rhyming text creates patterns as well. Finally, Mouse discovers his own mother, in a conventionally sweet, hug-and-kiss ending. Though lacking the freshness of the earlier books in the series, such as " Mouse's First Christmas" (1999) and " Mouse's First Halloween" (2000), this fills the bill for preschool teachers seeking seasonal read-aloud choices.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2005, American Library Association.)