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
From cock-crow to moonrise, a farmer moves around his barn, feeding and observing his animals. On each page, the simple, repetitive text (``I like the sound/gobble gobble.../the sound a turkey makes,'' with only the animal name and voice changing) captions a picture of the farmer with one kind of animal. Like Brown's illustrations for The Patchwork Farmer (1989), these are composed of multitudes of tiny black dots washed in soft color, with barn red and muted blues and greens predominating here. The result is pleasing but lacks animation; setting and atmosphere are emphasized more than the animals. Still, an offbeat introduction to animal voices, worth a try where funds permit. (Picture book. 2-6)
Pub Date: Oct. 23, 1991
ISBN: 0-688-08785-X
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 1991
A second, more predictable, book about the hero of Little Mouse's Big Valentine (1990): Little Mouse thinks that his friends have forgotten his birthday. Instead of desponding, he sets out on skis to climb Mouse Mountain, enjoying his outing (admiring the view, he ``imagined that he was sitting on top of a giant birthday cake'') until he loses his way on the homeward glide. His friends literally track him down, then ski back with him to their surprise party. A better-than-average run-through of a popular formula: the details are offbeat, while Hurd's glowing, free-style illustrations are a pleasure. (Picture book. 3-6)
Pub Date: Jan. 1, 1992
ISBN: 0-06-020215-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 1991
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
