Rating: 
Summary: You know the drill..!!
Review: We must confess -- barely a day after Halloween, and we're Christmas shopping already! This book is top on our list of gifts to give to the under 5 age group. It all begins with a movie, and then just as happens with the original story "If You Give a Mouse A Cookie," one thing oh so logically leads to another! Yes, our favorite (nameless) thinking mouse is back, with a story just in time for the holidays! As much as we love Pigs and Mooses (see related stories by this author), in our house the mouse is our favorite. The story is engaging enough that adults enjoy reading aloud, the illustrations invite looks for all the details. Definitely a book you can't go wrong with -- a great holiday (or pre-holiday) gift for 0 to 5!
Rating:
Summary: 4 ½* Still Very Good, But Perhaps Title Is Misleading
Review: You really can't go wrong with Laura Numeroff's tremendously appealing series about the mouse who doesn't hesitate to ask for what he wants! Part of the fun is the unexpected leap from he has now to what he wants next. As our third-grader put it, it wouldn't be that funny if the book just said, "If you take a mouse to the movies, he'll want to see the movie." On the other hand, I understand those readers who say this is not quite as good as others in the series, notably, "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie." Some of the if/then conjunctions just aren't as clever as in the past. Moreover, the title sets up some false expectations that the mouse's appetites will take place within a movie theatre, or, at least, within an urban setting. Instead, almost the whole book involves requests for holiday items, most of which are found in the house. Perhaps if the book (and the title) pointed to the book's Christmas theme, one's expectations would be met and the book would satisfy more than it does. Still, I think any child will enjoy this book, and the warm, humorous (cute, frankly!) pictures by the imaginative Felicia Bond. The illustrations are interesting without being cluttered, colorful without being assaultive. Just the thing for a fun holiday read!
Rating:
Summary: 4 ½* Still Very Good, But Perhaps Title Is Misleading
Review: You really can't go wrong with Laura Numeroff's tremendously appealing series about the mouse who doesn't hesitate to ask for what he wants! Part of the fun is the unexpected leap from he has now to what he wants next. As our third-grader put it, it wouldn't be that funny if the book just said, "If you take a mouse to the movies, he'll want to see the movie." On the other hand, I understand those readers who say this is not quite as good as others in the series, notably, "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie." Some of the if/then conjunctions just aren't as clever as in the past. Moreover, the title sets up some false expectations that the mouse's appetites will take place within a movie theatre, or, at least, within an urban setting. Instead, almost the whole book involves requests for holiday items, most of which are found in the house. Perhaps if the book (and the title) pointed to the book's Christmas theme, one's expectations would be met and the book would satisfy more than it does. Still, I think any child will enjoy this book, and the warm, humorous (cute, frankly!) pictures by the imaginative Felicia Bond. The illustrations are interesting without being cluttered, colorful without being assaultive. Just the thing for a fun holiday read!
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