Such a Little Mouse

PreS-K—A sweet little mouse takes pleasure in each season in this charmingly old-fashioned book. Poetic, repetitive text and deceptively simple-looking pencil and ink sketches show him going through the gentle routines of outdoor exploration and food storage. When winter arrives, he uses his supplies to make a cozy meal and snuggle down for a nap. He lives a relaxed, predator-free life and is slightly anthropomorphic. He lives in a field and carries food in his mouth but furnishes his hole with human cast-offs and cooks acorn bread and seed-and-watercress soup. There is no real point to the story, but it hits the right beats for the ear and the emotions and makes a nice example of the virtue of being contented with one's lot.—Heidi Estrin, Congregation B'nai Israel, Boca Raton, FL

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Yes, Schertle and Yue's hero is cute as can be, "with his smart gray coat, with his ears pink as petals, with three twitchety whiskers on each side of his nose." But he's also self-reliant, self-directed, and very much at home in the world--in other words, what readers in the target audience aspire to be. The story follows the mouse through spring, summer, and autumn as he emerges from his wonderfully snug underground home to gather food for his winter larder. Neither obsessive nor a procrastinator, the mouse knows he can get the job done and still have time to kibitz with neighbors (he contributes a twig to a beaver's dam) and savor the scenery (including his own handsome reflection in a puddle). Yue (the Guinea Pig, Pet Shop Private Eye series) channels her customary jaunty energy into a more old-school drawing style, delivering nature scenes that are warm but not treacly, while Schertle's gentle prose ("Such a little mouse. Off he goes into the wide world") has just enough repetition to provide a comforting structure and a cozy lilt. Ages 3-6. Illustrator's agent: Barry Goldblatt, Barry Goldblatt Literary. (Mar.)

Copyright 2015 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

Praise for LITTLE BLUE TRUCK (written by Alice Schertle and illustrated by Jill McElmurry)

*Schertle "gives readers plenty of opportunities to chime in with animal and vehicle noises." —PUBLISHERS WEEKLY, starred review

"A fun, rollicking story that should find a place in most collections." —SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL

Praise for VERY HAIRY BEAR (written by Alice Schertle and illustrated by Matt Phelan)

*"Schertle's patterned language sets up a playful cadence." —KIRKUS REVIEWS, starred review