It's Mouse's birthday, and—one by one—his friends (cat, dog, cow, horse, farmer) squeeze into the tiny, well-appointed straw house where Mouse lives in a quiet corner of the barn. Miraculously, they all fit; but when Mouse blows out his single birthday candle, the house flies apart like the one-hoss shay, leaving Mouse and the others in his "new house"—the capacious hayloft, where there's room for everyone. Told in simple, repetitive verse, a funny story that'll be a good choice for very young groups. The humorous, large figures of Mouse's friends dominate Degen's brightly colored illustrations in amusing contrast to the appealing little Mouse. (Picture book. 2-6)
Pub Date: March 24, 1993
ISBN: 0-399-22189-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Putnam
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 1993
An affectionately illustrated version of the old poem about the lonely puffin who befriended his erstwhile prey, the fishes, so he could have them ``for playmates/Instead of for tea'' and learned to eat pancakes instead ``Like you and like me.'' Cheerful full- bleed artwork in Easter egg colors on heavy stock makes this sturdy little book a happy find for toddlers and preschoolers. Anyone fond of Lear's ``The Owl and the Pussy-Cat'' is sure to like this one, too. (Picture book. 2-5)
Pub Date: May 1, 1995
ISBN: 0-525-45291-5
Page Count: 20
Publisher: Dutton
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 1995
Like Ginsburg's Asleep, Asleep (below), another bedtime survey of sleepers, inspired by a child's questions. The repetitive, more pedestrian text here (``Does a boat sleep at night, Mama? Yes, dear. Boats sleep at their docks'') is also broader-ranging, going from domestic to wild animals to kinds of transportation and concluding with the sun and the curious child. Young sets his night-darkened images of the sleepers in four-inch squares that he imposes on sunny double spreads of the corresponding animals, train, etc. engaged in daytime activities, their evanescent forms distilled to impressionistic simplicity against serene, dreamlike clouds of glorious color. The idea here is trite, but Young's imaginative visualization is a pleasure. (Picture book. 2-6)
Pub Date: April 23, 1992
ISBN: 0-688-08200-9
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Morrow/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 1992
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