Whose Mouse Are You?

Cuuuuuute book alert!

It starts out with the narrator (that's you) asking a mouse, "Whose mouse are you?" He replies, "Nobody's mouse," and then goes on to explain the how all of his family members are either far away or victims of cats or traps. Then you ask the mouse, "What are you going to do?" And the mouse describes how he's going to get his family back.

The illustrations are a little dated, but still colorful and fun. The text is simple, with just one sentence on each page. It's great for reading aloud, even to little kids. And I love that the book focuses on family and that the little mouse is so brave. Family and courage are two of my favorite themes for children's books right now.

Whose Mouse Are You?
Written by Robert Kraus and illustrated by Jose Aruego
Age range*: 3-6
My rating: 5 stars [out of five] 

*Age ranges are very flexible.

Full disclosure: I don't receive any compensation for reviewing children's books--I usually just get them at the local library.

My Grandson Lew

This story is not for the faint-of-tear-ducts.

In My Grandson Lew, Lewis calls for his mother and asks her why Grandpa doesn't come around anymore. His mother hadn't realized that Lewis remembered his grandpa, who passed away when Lewis was very small. Lewis tells her everything that he does remember about his grandpa, and his mother assures him that even though Grandpa is gone, remembering Grandpa together is better than having to remember him alone.

Yeah, I cried. I'm tearing up a little right now.

There was one odd thing about this book is that it doesn't have any quotation marks in it, which makes it a little hard to read out loud. I guess authors got a little bit experimental when this story was published, way back in 1974. Anyway, it's still a good book, and it's especially good for children who have begun to question what happens when loved ones die.

My Grandson Lew
Written by Charlotte Zolotow and illustrated by William Pene Du Bois
Age range*: 4-8
My rating: 4 stars [out of five] 

*Age ranges are very flexible.

Full disclosure: The books reviewed here are books that I own or that have been checked out from the local library. Some links in this post are Amazon Affiliate links.

The Piggy in the Puddle

The Piggy in the Puddle is one of my most favorite, favorite, favorite children's books. Of all time. Ever.

It's starts with a baby piggy. She's in a puddle. She likes it. Her mommy piggy, daddy piggy, and brother piggy each come by and tell her that she shouldn't be in the middle of a puddle, and that what she needs is lots of soap. But each time, the little piggy answers, "Nope!"

Eventually, all of the piggy family ends up in the puddle together. I think the little piggy family is part of what I like about this book. Plus the rhyming, rhythmic text that's crazy-fun to read, and James Marshall's illustrations, which are always funny. AND it's a Reading Rainbow book. (I had a little bit of a thing for Reading Rainbow when I was little.)

Anyway, I highly recommend this book. It's sweet and funny, for kids and adults both.


The Piggy in the Puddle
Written by Charlotte Pomerantz and illustrated by James Marshall
Age range*: 3-6
My rating: 5 stars [out of five] 

*Age ranges are very flexible.

Full disclosure: The books reviewed here are books that I own or that have been checked out from the local library. Some links in this post are Amazon Affiliate links.

A Christmas Tree for Pyn

This is a nice Christmas story from the author of the Gossie and Gertie series [some of which I love, and some of which I don't]. Pyn lives in the mountains with her father, Oother. He's gruff and bearlike--he doesn't like for Pyn to call him "Papa"--just "Oother." It's not that he doesn't love Pyn, it's just that he's embarrassed by affection.

Pyn decides that this year, she wants a Christmas tree like the ones down in the village. She sets off by herself to find one and gets herself in a bit of trouble, but Oother finds her. They bring home a tree, and Pyn decorates it with bits and pieces that she's been gathering all year--birds' nests, that kind of thing. Oother sees what she's done and pulls out a bird ornament that had belonged to Pyn's mother. They admire their tree and Oother finally lets Pyn call him "Papa."

This is really more of a father/daughter story than a Christmas story--the tree is the only Christmas-y thing in it. It's a bit on the long side, so I'd definitely recommend it for kids with a good attention span. The story's not religious at all, but it still celebrates Christmas in a way that isn't about presents or Santa Claus.

A Christmas Tree for Pyn
Written and illustrated by Olivier Dunrea
Age range*: 5-7
My rating: 3 stars [out of five]

*Age ranges are very flexible.

Full disclosure: I don't receive any compensation for reviewing children's books--the books are usually just checked out from the local library.