Fat Mouse ANNOTATION
A never-ending chase ensues when a fat mouse pursues a cook and other animals and humans join in. On board pages.
FROM THE CRITICS
Publishers Weekly
The first of these large-format board books has a plot that takes readers in circlesFat Mouse chased a cook, who chased a farmer who chased a milkmaid, who chased a cow that chased a ram that chased a dog that chased a cat that chasedFat Mouse, who is on the cover. In Parrot Told Snake, the animals repeat a message to one another, until they finally gang up and tell a hunter to ``Go home!'' Stevens's wide-eyed animals and people madly dash around on a stark, white background. Both of these provide good surprises the first time through and they have a rhythm and repetition to them that children will respond to. Ages 26. (April)
School Library Journal
PreS-Gr 2 Oversized board books invite would-be readers to memorize the predictable text: ``Parrot Told Snake'' and ``Snake told Bear'' until all eight animals tell the hunter to ``Go Home.'' In a wraparound story, Fat Mouse ``chased a cook who chased a farmer'' and so on until the back cover reveals a ``cat who chased. . .'' (flip to front cover), ``Fat Mouse.'' Small children will enjoy picking out the continuing details (flowers, a butterfly, little story snips such as the cat's stealing of the dog's bone, and other picture carryovers from previous illustrations), but older readers may puzzle over the goat's kibbled dinner mysteriously labeled ``cows cake.'' Bright, full-color figures against a white background are clearly visible to large groups of listeners who'll be able to retell the text verbatim after one hearing. Susan Hepler, Windsor Public Library, Conn.
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