Mousequerade Ball: A Counting Tale

by Lori Mortensen, Betsy Lewin (Illustrator)

Overview

In a castle on a hill, in a great grand hall,
mice are getting ready for the Mousequerade Ball.
They dress in their finest. What a grand affair!
But when an unexpected guest arrives,
the mice get quite a scare.

Is the evening ruined? Should they run in fright?
Or will a gallant mouse stand up and save the splendid night?

Counting up to ten and back again, dancing all the while, this delightful read-to-me eBook invites readers--and dancers--to the event of the season: the Mousequerade Ball!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781619639713
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Publishing
Publication date:	05/17/2016
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	32
File size:	25 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	3 - 6 Years

About the Author

Lori Mortensen is the author of more than three dozen books that include fiction and nonfiction, picture books, early readers, first graphic novels, and middle-grade nonfiction. Her most recent picture book Cowpoke Clyde and Dirty Dawg was chosen as a Bank Street Best Book of 2014 and an Amazon Best Book of the Year.
www.lorimortensen.com.
Betsy Lewin is the bestselling Caldecott Honor-winning illustrator of Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type and its sequels, Giggle, Giggle, Quack; Duck for President; Dooby Dooby Moo; and Thump, Quack, Moo; in addition to a number of other picture books, including So, What's It Like to Be a Cat? and Where Is Tippy Toes? She lives in Brooklyn, New York.
www.betsylewin.com
Lori Mortensen is the author of more than three dozen books that include fiction and nonfiction, picture books, early readers, first graphic novels, and middle-grade nonfiction. Her most recent picture book Cowpoke Clyde and Dirty Dawg was chosen as a Bank Street Best Book of 2014 and an Amazon Best Book of the Year.
www.lorimortensen.com.


Betsy Lewin is the bestselling Caldecott Honor-winning illustrator of Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type and its sequels, Giggle, Giggle, Quack; Duck for President; Dooby Dooby Moo; and Thump, Quack, Moo; in addition to a number of other picture books, including So, What's It Like to Be a Cat? and Where Is Tippy Toes? She lives in Brooklyn, New York.
www.betsylewin.com

Editorial Reviews

05/23/2016
Mortensen (Chicken Lily) and Lewin (the Click, Clack, Moo series) envision a grand ball in a palace, attended entirely by mice—until a cat shows up. In gently cadenced rhymes, Mortensen counts up to 10: when it’s time for music, “Three fine mice in black-tie suits/ tighten up the strings of their thumb-strum lutes,” and the costumed guests that arrive include seven jesters, eight “grand lords,” and 10 “splendid ladies.” All scurry to hide after the dashingly dressed cat arrives, looking a bit like Puss in Boots, but one mouse wisely realizes he’s there to dance, not dine, and the festivities resume. Lewin’s loose, breezy watercolors tap into the blend of elegance and comedy in this diverting animal fantasy. Ages 3–6. Author’s agent: Liza Pulitzer Voges, Eden Street Literary. Illustrator’s agent: Holly McGhee, Pippin Properties. (May)

Publishers Weekly

"Mortensen’s verse text sets an upbeat rhythm and a jovial tone in the first half of the book, which contrasts nicely with the second. Strong black lines define the characters and their actions in Lewin’s graceful watercolors, which illustrate the verses with drama, humor, and style. The artwork shows up beautifully from a distance, making this a good counting book for classroom settings as well as individual reading." - Booklist

"It is an enchanting evening to remember (and a fine reminder that even a primary concept can get dressed up)." - Kirkus

"Lewin’s loose, breezy watercolors tap into the blend of elegance and comedy in this diverting animal fantasy." - Publishers Weekly

"A lovely story of celebration and dance. . . . This book will appeal to a variety of audiences, engaging readers and listeners alike." - School Library Connection

From the Publisher

05/01/2016
PreS-Gr 1—The mice are preparing for the Mousequerade ball—and this counting book leads up to the big night. From one small mouse lighting the fire in the great room, to five plump mice slicing cheddar to put atop fine bread crumbs, to seven silly jesters practicing their balancing tricks, the stage is set. With nine buccaneers tipping their ornate feathered hats to the splendid ladies, the ball is about to begin, when "ten feathered ladies fan themselves and gasp—/'CAT!'" The action quickly retreats backward from 10 down to one, as the mice scurry and hide themselves from the dapperly dressed feline. It is the final one small mouse who realizes that the cat, in fact, wants to dance: "Mouse does a curtsy; cat makes a bow./They waltz around the floor, and the mice cheer—/WOW!" VERDICT Lewin's signature watercolor illustrations breathe charm and gaiety into the mischief of mice in this clear-cut counting story. A surefire storytime selection.—Lisa Kropp, Lindenhurst Memorial Library, NY

School Library Journal

2016-02-17
From one to 10 and back again, the mice get ready for the ball. One lone mouse begins preparations by striking a fire in the grand fireplace. Two others scurry around with brooms to swish the castle clean. "Three fine mice in black-tie suits / tighten up the strings of their thumb-strum lutes." It is time to don a mask and waltz at the Mousequerade Ball. Eight lords twirl their walking sticks with haughty importance, and nine buccaneers tip their elaborate, feathered hats in debonair bows. However, the 10 ladies, dressed in elegant finery, suddenly let out a terrified gasp. Who has arrived at the door but a…CAT! (Alas, the dramatic double-page close-up of the cat's face is sadly, distractingly bisected by the pages' gutter.) Mortensen frantically trips back down the number line as mice scatter to hide: "Six eager mice race beneath a rug. / Five plump mice squeeze into a jug." But the last mouse realizes that the cat has come for the same reason as everyone else. She proffers her little paw, and they dance the night away. The spry toes of Lewin's tiny mice glide along the text's sprightly beat, her signature thick, flowing black line delineating features and finery and lending the rodents personality and movement. It is an enchanting evening to remember (and a fine reminder that even a primary concept can get dressed up). (Picture book. 2-5)

Kirkus Reviews