BLABBER MOUSE

Jokes, poetry, secrets, rumors—Blabber Mouse just can’t stop talking. The little guy has a hard time keeping his mouth shut about anything, and hurts his friends and family by telling their secrets and spreading rumors about them. Blabber’s friends decide to help him by throwing him a surprise party. When Blabber arrives, he can’t believe his eyes and is even more surprised to find that no one said anything at all. As he tears off the wrapping of his present, Blabber realizes that it is a little book with a key and a lock. He now has a place to write down all his secrets instead of blabbing them to everyone. The cartoon-like watercolor illustrations simply portraying mice wearing sunglasses, attending movies, sitting at their desks in school, and dancing might draw some giggles from young readers, but they aren’t enough to overcome some major issues with the story. The message is clear: talking too much can be harmful, but the answer to Blabber Mouse’s problem seems too simplistic. And why are they giving him a party, anyway? While the intent is good, this lesson misses its mark. (Picture book. 2-5)