If You Take a Mouse to School FROM OUR EDITORS
The Barnes & Noble Review
Bringing a plucky mouse to school isn't the wisest idea, no matter how much fun it might seem. Thankfully, the bestselling duo of author Laura Numeroff and illustrator Felicia Bond -- creators of If You Take a Mouse to the Movies and If You Give a Mouse a Cookie -- have teamed up to show us the hijinks a whiskered school guest could cause.
Starting with asking for your lunchbox, this critter is set for mischief. The feisty mouse asks for a snack for later (cookies of course), a notebook, and pencils, and wants "to share your backpack, too." After he arrives at school, the pushy classmate tries his hand (make that paw) at math and writing on the blackboard, afterward whipping up a messy, pink science experiment and building a "little mouse house" from blocks. The schooltime antics don't stop there, but a busy mouse tends to get hungry after so much playtime. Naturally his snack is in the lunchbox, which is stored "in a safe place" with his new picture book inside.
Following the whimsical style of their previous books, Numeroff and Bond have done it again. Their high-adrenaline mouse will have readers cheering while their eyes comb the illustrations for extra nibbles of fun. Although the book's main human character looks positively exhausted at the end, we can only holler for more of the little guy with the huge school spirit. Matt Warner
ANNOTATION
Follows a boy and his mouse through a busy day at school.
FROM THE PUBLISHER
If you take a mouse to school, he'll ask you for your lunch box. When you give him your lunch box, he'll want a sandwich to go in it. Then he'll need a notebook and some pencils. He'll probably want to share your backpack, too ...
The famous mouse from the New York Times #1 best-seller If You Take a Mouse to the Movies and If You give a Mouse a Cookie is back for his first day of school. Only Laura Numeroff and Felicia Bond could make school this much fun!
FROM THE CRITICS
Publishers Weekly
In a rollicking romp, Numeroff and Bond send the energetic, exuberant star of If You Give a Mouse a Cookie and If You Take a Mouse to the Movies (and his boy sidekick) into the classroom. After pulling on his overalls, the diminutive character makes his first request ("He'll ask you for your lunchbox") and then demands a snack, notebook and pencils before climbing into the boy's backpack. Once at school, the mercurial mouse happily bounds from one activity to the next: he spells "a word or two" on the blackboard (Bond shows these as an impressive list headed by "onomatopoeia"), conducts a science experiment (purple matter erupts from his beaker), builds "a little mouse house" out of blocks (the edifice looks quite elaborate) and fashions furniture for it with clay. Realizing he needs something on his new bookshelf, the ambitious critter collects paper and pencils and creates his own book, which he then wants to take home, in "your" lunch box. As animated as the whiskered student it depicts, Bond's art lives up to expectation, featuring her customary crisp colors and kid-pleasing details. Its school setting, tried-and-true tone and popular protagonist mark this title as a winner. Ages 3-7. (July) FYI: Numeroff will donate a portion of her royalties to First Book, a national nonprofit organization that promotes children's literacy. Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.
Children's Literature - Ken Marantz and Sylvia Marantz
The engaging mouse of If You Give a Mouse a Cookie and If You Take a Mouse to the Movies this time accompanies his young friend to school. He continues his usual practice of always "needing" or "wanting" something more. As he joins the students at the chalkboard, experiments in science class, eats lunch, builds a mouse house from blocks, and even writes a book, his antics add fun to the familiar activities. Again, Bond's sketchy colored drawings tell a considerably more elaborate story than the spare text. Visuals exploit the imaginative possibilities of words, creating a very charming anthropomorphic star. 2002, Laura Geringer Books/HarperCollins Publishers,
School Library Journal
PreS-Gr 1-That adorable rodent, dressed in his tiny blue overalls, returns with all the ebullience and adventurous spirit he displayed in If You Give a Mouse a Cookie (1985) and If You Take a Mouse to the Movies (2000, both HarperCollins). This time he accompanies his human friend to school, and his enthusiasm for learning fascinates the class. Mouse joyfully discovers new activities, which include performing a science experiment, building a "mouse house" with blocks, writing a book, and more. Bond's illustrations are an essential part of the story, with visual clues that link it to the original-chocolate-chip cookies appear on pajamas, in a lunch box, and as a refrigerator magnet. White backgrounds allow the crisp, bright watercolors to stand out and invite perusal. With his minuscule backpack and expansive joie de vivre, the little charmer exudes excitement about everything he undertakes, and the day turns into a lively experience for mouse and boy.-Maryann H. Owen, Racine Public Library, WI Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.
Kirkus Reviews
That well-known mouse runs his little boy ragged-this time by accompanying him to school. After packing a lunchbox full of treats and a backpack full of supplies, they head for the classroom. Things seem to be running smoothly until the mouse decides to do a bit of exploring. After trying his hand at the blackboard, demonstrating some impressive spelling and mathematical skills, he decides to attempt a science experiment. After a quick cleanup, he uses his artistic skills to build a house from blocks, furnishing it with clay furniture. While enjoying his new home, he munches his lunch then decides that he needs books for his bookcase. After writing a book, shooting hoops, skateboarding, and playing a bit of soccer outside, mouse is hungry again. A quick search for the missing snack ends happily back at school, leaving mouse to nibble on a cookie and do a bit of reading. With this pair's standard refrain, the lessons of cause and effect are not lost, even though the situations sometimes become outrageous. Still, no one will be able to resist Mouse's exuberance for learning as he happily charges through his day. A giggle-fest is sure to accompany this little guy wherever he goes. (Picture book. 3-6)
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