Red House, Tree House, Little Bitty Brown Mouse

Toddler-PreS-On the title page, a little mouse packs her suitcase and then she's off! She travels around the world through busy, colorful spreads until she arrives--back home! The text offers multiple opportunities for reader interaction: counting, identifying colors, answering questions, and of course, finding the mouse on every page. The majority of the rhyming lines scan well. If a few feel a bit short, young readers will most likely not notice--they will be too busy scanning the illustrations, naming objects, and looking for the little mouse. Once the book has been read a few times and the mouse found, flip to the end pages for a new game. Match the patches on the endpapers with the related story images throughout the book. VERDICT A fun concept book for the very young with a seek-and-find element for slightly older, more savvy readers.--Kelly Roth, Bartow County Public Library, Cartersville, GA

Copyright 2019 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

As a "little bitty" suitcase-toting mouse goes on a journey, the reader tags along, engaging in a rhythmic, interactive story. The book calls for engagement on multiple levels: conveying basic concepts of color and counting ("Can you count the petals/ in the garden bed?), building language skills in the rhymes, and playing seek-and-find for the mouse on each spread. Even the travel patch-dotted endpapers spark activity: a note tells readers that they can "match the picture in each patch to its related image in the story." Zoomy verse paces the journey and often directs questions at the reader ("Pink shoes/ blue shoes/ green shoes/ red./ Shoes go on your feet./ What goes on your head?"). Gómez's sunny and delicate spreads are the star of the show, encouraging readers to pause on elements such as characters in city windows and bric-a-brac in mouse's tree house. An appealing, educational mix of stop and go. Ages 3-5. (Aug.)

Copyright 2019 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

A Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year
A Horn Book Fanfare Best Book of the Year

★ "Preschoolers can follow a little brown mouse on its traveling adventures in this engaging color concept book. . . . A wonderful read-aloud . . . Clean-lined, colorful . . . Myriad delightful details . . . The people depicted are diverse both racially as well as in physical ability. Delightful and engaging." —Kirkus (starred review)

★ Jaunty and interactive . . . A cheerful there-and-back-again adventure—that's also an excellent color-concept book—perfectly aimed at the very youngest." —The Horn Book (starred review)

"Once the book has been read a few times and the mouse found, flip to the end pages for a new game. Match the patches on the endpapers with the related story images throughout the book. Verdict: A fun concept book for the very young with a seek-and-find element for slightly older, more savvy readers." —School Library Journal

"The book calls for engagement on multiple levels: conveying basic concepts of color and counting ("Can you count the petals/ in the garden bed?), building language skills in the rhymes, and playing seek-and-find for the mouse on each spread. Even the travel patch-dotted endpapers spark activity. . . . Appealing [and] educational." —Publishers Weekly