Reviews for Little Mouse's big breakfast

School Library Journal
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

PreS-Gr 2-It's a chilly evening and Little Mouse discovers that he has nothing stored away for breakfast the next morning. Luckily, Little Mouse knows just where to look and scampers off to search a nearby house. Once inside, he finds the perfect breakfast-a bright blueberry. As he is about to leave for home, something else catches his eye-a rosy red apple. Before long, he has a teetering tower of food balanced on the small blueberry in his arms. As he bends over to grab one last item-a shiny striped sunflower seed-the tower of food begins to collapse and he notices that he is not the only creature looking for breakfast. Pym's appealing illustrations are done in a soft yet vibrant mix of watercolor and pencil. Little Mouse's small brown form and large round eyes easily stand out on each spread, even when shown in larger scenes. The text itself has a nice rhythm and works well as a read-aloud. VERDICT The straightforward text and bright illustrations will hold the attention of preschoolers, while older kids will enjoy the fun food alliterations and the hint of another adventure in the last line of the story.-Kimberly Tolson, Concord Free Public Library, MA © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.


Book list
From Booklist, Copyright © American Library Association. Used with permission.

Little Mouse searches the garden for a sunflower seed or a berry for his breakfast, but there's nothing to be found. Undeterred, he sneaks through a nearby kitchen window and finds . . . a blueberry! And an apple, a jar of cookies, a hunk of cheese, a pickle, a sausage, and a sticky cupcake. He balances them all atop his head until he spots a sunflower seed. His favorite! Bending to pick it up, he feels the rest come crashing down just as a cat arrives. Little Mouse makes a fast escape with his seed and then plans a new heist next-door. Pym uses repetition effectively in the text. Created with watercolor, gouache, and colored pencil, the large-scale illustrations show up well from a distance, making this an effective choice for storytimes. Kids listening to the tale will be calling out warnings to Little Mouse on the last page as he climbs toward a window where three cats are watching him with anticipation. An engaging and amusing offering.--Phelan, Carolyn Copyright 2017 Booklist


Horn Book
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

While raiding a house for breakfast, a little mouse gathers a teetering stack of snacks--a bright blueberry, crunchy cookies, etc.--only to drop them when reaching for "his favorite." As it happens, the sunflower seed is all he can carry as he makes a quick escape from the resident cat. The alliterative, read-aloud-ready story is well served by visual humor in the watercolor, gouache, and pencil-crayon illustrations, including an amusing last-page joke. (c) Copyright 2019. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.


Kirkus
Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

What will Little Mouse do? There's nothing for tomorrow's breakfast."He had searched every sunflower for a seed and every bush for a berry, but all the food was gone." But he's a resourceful rodent; along the path, up the drainpipe, and through a window he goes. He spies a bright blueberry on a table. "Well, Little Mouse loved a bright blueberry. A bright blueberry would be just perfect for a little mouse's breakfast." He's headed home when he sees a rosy red apple, which he also lovesthen crunchy cookies, cheese, a pickle, sausage, and a cupcake. He adds each food to the pile, heaping them high on his head. But suddenly he spies his favorite breakfast: a sunflower seed. Bending to pick it up sends his stash crashing to the ground, and he's not the only furry person searching for breakfast in the house. He escapes the black cat and enjoys his seedbut that means he's out of food again. Luckily there is the house next door. British author/illustrator Pym turns out a charming tale of a hungry mouse and his daring trip indoors. Listeners will enjoy the tale with its rhythmic language and the watercolor-and-pencil illustrations of the wide-eyed, smiling mouse.Who needs a feast when you have your favorite food? (Picture book. 3-7) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

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