Mouse's First Halloween

by Lauren Thompson, Buket Erdogan (Illustrator)

Overview

One spooky night in the fall, Mouse creeps out and hears bats flying

Flit! Flit! Flit!

and apples dropping

Plop! Plop! Plop!

and children singing

"TRICK OR TREAT!"

What could it be?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780689831768
Publisher:	Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers
Publication date:	09/01/2000
Edition description:	Repackage
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	8.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.30(d)
Lexile:	BR (what's this?)
Age Range:	3 - 6 Years

About the Author

Lauren Thompson is the author of several picture books, including the popular Mouse’s First series, Little Quack series, and the Wee Little series. She is also the author of the critically acclaimed The Apple Pie That Papa Baked as well as Leap Back Home to Me; Chew, Chew, Gulp!; and Hop, Hop, Jump! She lives with her husband and son in Brooklyn, New York.

Buket Erdogan has always been inspired by vibrant colors and children’s art. She has illustrated the New York Times bestselling Mouse’s First series and the Calico series. She lives in Brooklyn, New York.

Editorial Reviews

And new to board book format is Lauren Thompson's Mouse's First Halloween, illus. by Buket Erdogan. To the refrain of "Eeek!"/ Mouse squeaked," Mouse finds reasonable explanations for the scary sounds he hears. Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

Publishers Weekly

PreS-Inquisitive Mouse steps out again on a holiday eve. This time it's Halloween night. He hears something flying. "Flit! Flit! Flit! What could it be?" The bright, autumn-hued double-spread answers the question with shadows of bats and just enough black wings to suggest them, thus creating a guessing game for young children. Leaves rustle and tumble, scarecrows flap and wave, apples plop, and trick-or-treaters thump. At each eerie encounter, Mouse asks, "What could it be?" and a visual clue is incorporated into the spread. The answers are printed in shaped text on the following page with a refrain, "That's all. Not so scary after all." The brilliant Halloween tones and sounds of autumn create a chance for spooky language interaction and encourage participation. This author and illustrator make a superb team, and children who liked Mouse's First Christmas (S & S, 1999) will adore Mouse's First Halloween.- Karen Land, Greenport Public School, NY Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.

School Library Journal

A tiny mouse's gently scary investigation of typical Halloween encounters reveals calming answers to worrisome possibilities. " ‘Eeek!' Mouse squeaked. What could it be?" repeat as easily remembered choral responses as Mouse questions each potentially scary noise. (Something's flitting! Then rustling! Flapping, dropping, sneaking, flickering, thumping!) The dark hues of a spooky night permeate Erdogan's full-bleed illustrations, in which alternate spreads set up fearful situations, only to deflate them into something that's "not so scary after all" with the flip of the page to the next spread. The juxtaposition of the tiny mouse against large, looming objects increases the sense of foreboding. Typographics like the circular display of the word "jack-o'-lantern" or the tumbling letters of "Falling apples" enliven the look of Mouse's second foray into the two-legged world by this author/illustrator team (Mouse's First Christmas, 1999). Plug in a narrator or two, a mouse, movements from creative dramatics, and those repeating refrains, and a read-aloud session for pre-schoolers could spark to life. The book will reassure timorous listeners in both individual and group settings about a meant-to-be-spooky holiday—and perhaps even provide by extension a means of lessening fearfulness in other "scary" situations they encounter. (Picture book. 2-6)

Kirkus Reviews