Mouse’s First Christmas (32 pp.; $12.00; Oct. 1; 0-689-82325-8) Arriving in the snowy avalanche of holiday titles, this book begins with a bit of rhymed play on the beginning of Clement Moore’s poem, as Mouse investigates something “sweet and sparkly,” a cookie, “warm and melty” hot cocoa, and so on through candy, bells, angels, candles, presents, the tree, and finally, Santa himself. The language is either twee or pedestrian, and doesn’t really engage readers or onlookers in Mouse’s mission. The illustrations are done in thick holiday pigments: reds, greens, blues, and golds; the typeface is occasionally treated playfully. Insubstantial but wrapped prettily. (Picture book. 2-6)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-689-82325-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 1999
An airy, light look at one boy’s day at the bay. Camera in tow, a young naturalist sets out in search of frogs. While there are frogs a-plenty hiding under the dock, behind rocks, and perched on the rim of his hat, his eyes are opened to polliwogs, blue herons, crayfish, hummingbirds, loons and turtles. Rhyming couplets accompany each “snapshot” of nature, forming a short, caption-like storyline for this trip around the bay. At the end of his journey, he wonders if the creatures will say, “I saw a human being today.” Pencil crayon illustrations are pale but peaceful, adding to the meditative, meandering mode. The frogs in every spread will gratify find-and-point toddlers and other young listeners. (Picture book. 2-4)
Pub Date: March 1, 1999
ISBN: 1-55074-498-4
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Kids Can
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1999
Inspired by the beauty of the world around him, a newborn chick breaks into joyful song, frolicking through the forest. A chance encounter with a fox, who is honest about his intentions (“Hello, Lunch,” he says), has dire consequences: he swallows the chick in one gulp. Soon the fox is gamboling through the forest, singing the little chick’s song. He is gobbled up by a wolf, who in turn is consumed by a bear, and every one of them is afflicted with the singing malady. A tumble down the hill knocks all the creatures loose from the bear’s stomach, and, grateful that they are no longer compelled to sing, they return the warbling chick to his parents. Cecil’s illustrations sparkle with humor as every astonished animal is seized by the urge to sing and dance; the deep colors provide a vivid backdrop for the action. This wondrously silly tale will click with the same audience that appreciates any version of “The Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly.” (Picture book. 3-6)
Pub Date: March 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-8050-5255-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Henry Holt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1999
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