Author: A.H Benjamin Illustrator: Tim Warnes Publisher: Little Tiger Genre: Children's story Age Group: 2-6 No of Pages: 32
Other books by author What if? A Duck so Small Mouse, Mole and the Falling Star Baa, Moo, What will we Do? Little Mouse and The Big Red Apple The King Bird
Other books by the illustrator Shhh! I don't want to take a bath I don't want to go to bed Have you got my Purr? Scaredy Mouse Little Tiger Big Surprises Tom's Tail
Story Summary Mouse travels home from visiting his cousin in town but seems particularly prone to accidents along the way. His terrible luck lands him in all kinds of trouble and he ends up bruised, soaked and covered in prickles.
What Mouse doesn't realise is that his clumsiness has saved him from becoming dinner for many animals along the way including a bird, a cat and even a slippery snake.
I will leave you in suspense about whether poor mouse makes it home safely...
Educational Value You would struggle to find the educational value of this book, but does it really matter? Our kids are learning so much at this stage in their life. Some things are allowed to just be fun!
Opinion of Story What I liked about this story is how closely the reader gets to know the mouse. He has a real little personality and as a reader I found myself empathising with him instantly. Of course, there is nothing funnier for kids than seeing goofy characters getting into trouble or having some sort of mishap which this book is full of. A H Benjamin seems to have a sense of humour which comes across well in this little tale. It is rare to consider a book for small children as suspenseful, but this one really is. Each page brings more trouble for the mouse and my son and I eagerly turned the pages to see what would happen next. Cute little story.
Opinion of Illustrations The illustrations are almost cartoon like. They are simple and brightly coloured but the faces of the characters bring the story to life. The exasperation is clearly shown on the wee mouse's face and the supporting characters wear suitably sinister/shocked/mortified faces.
Over all impression A sweet, enjoyable book which will bring a smile to the faces of your children as well as to yours. It is perhaps not a classic and is not likely to be one you or your children remember for years to come (Like the Very Hungry Caterpillar etc) but it is a likeable, gentle and funny tale well worth a look.
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How does it compare to similar audio books?
Quite good
How does it compare to audio works by the same author?
Not applicable
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