Book Review: Halloween Mice
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What Parents Should Know
Parents need to know that this is a playful story full of
frolicking, costumed mice and shadow magic. Nothing harmful or
too scary is presented in this story of Halloween fun and
adventure.
Families can talk about the costumes the mice wear and point out the assorted things we all think of on Halloween: bats, pumpkins, scarecrows, etc. You can also talk about shadows: How are they created? How can you make your own shadows? How did the mice trick the stalking cat? How did the little mouse scare his family?
Common Sense Media Review
The watercolored mice frolicking in their costumes on the
front cover look happy and excited to be going out on a
Halloween night. And they are. As they skitter forth, however,
their fun is almost interrupted by a stalking cat that has a
different idea.
The story is simple and somewhat ordinary, but the little mice faces are adorable, the language is fun and playful, and young children will enjoy reading along with the rhythmic phrases and picking out whimsical details in the happy and expressive paintings.
The illustrations also use light cleverly, which ties in with the story and the trick the mice play on the cat. From the beginning, the lead mouse shows the way with his big-beamed lantern while the full moon shines overhead. Then, while they traipse across the wind-blown cornfield, a bat stretches his wings across the moon as they scamper toward the pumpkin patch.
The party begins, and their shadows dance against the pumpkins, and later all four frolicking mice are silhouetted against the moon, their shadows stretching out toward the reader. Of course, shadow magic plays a part in tricking the cat, and then, because he still wants to party, the little mouse creates one final shadow fright for the evening.
This is just one in a series of holiday mice books written by Bethany Roberts. An edition including a cassette tape is also available.
Common Sense Media is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing information to help parents make media and entertainment choices for their families.
