School Library Journal Review
| PreS-Inquisitive Mouse steps out again on a holiday eve. This time it's Halloween night. He hears something flying. "Flit! Flit! Flit! What could it be?" The bright, autumn-hued double-spread answers the question with shadows of bats and just enough black wings to suggest them, thus creating a guessing game for young children. Leaves rustle and tumble, scarecrows flap and wave, apples plop, and trick-or-treaters thump. At each eerie encounter, Mouse asks, "What could it be?" and a visual clue is incorporated into the spread. The answers are printed in shaped text on the following page with a refrain, "That's all. Not so scary after all." The brilliant Halloween tones and sounds of autumn create a chance for spooky language interaction and encourage participation. This author and illustrator make a superb team, and children who liked Mouse's First Christmas (S & S, 1999) will adore Mouse's First Halloween.- Karen Land, Greenport Public School, NY (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. |
Booklist Review
| Ages 2^-5. On his first Halloween night, a little mouse outside by himself has a series of frights in this wonderfully rhythmic picture book. Each new sound or sight terrifies Mouse until its source is revealed: "Down on the ground, / Mouse heard something moving--/ Rustle! Rustle! Rustle! / `Eeek!' Mouse squeaked. / What could it be?/ [page turn] Tumbling leaves! / That's all. / Not so scary after all." The repetition of this pattern of words sets up a cadence that young children will find both pleasing and comforting. The illustrations, which appear to be acrylics on canvas, build up layers of dark, warm color lit with lighter shades and, occasionally, white highlights. The rounded shapes of the little mouse and his world add to the cozy feeling that underlies the light pretense of scariness. From the author and illustrator of Mouse's First Christmas (1999), this is a fine Halloween read-aloud for young children who like the idea of a scary book, but need plenty of reassurance along the way. Carolyn Phelan |
