Mr. Postmouse's Rounds (Mr. Postmouse #1)

In a story that, like Richard Scarry's work, offers an abundance of curiosity-piquing domestic details to consider, readers follow a small mouse postal carrier making his rounds. A gentle silliness pervades Dubuc's (The Bus Ride) tidily drafted cartoons, but coy references to fairy tales, nursery rhymes, and animal biology are also apparent. A cutaway view of Mr. Bear's home reveals a rooftop beehive and a calendar that appears to be counting down until hibernation time. And is that Goldilocks he's enjoying porridge with? Mr. Snake's skinny dwelling stretches across five pages, with heat lamps hanging throughout, hinting at his ectothermic nature. (Also, he evidently has swallowed an automobile.) Underground homes belonging to Mrs. Mole, an ant colony, and the Rabbits reveal burrows filled with digging implements, sweet treats, and bunk beds. There's some understated humor in Dubuc's captionlike text--"This one is a bit worrying," she says of the package delivered to a chicken coop (a fox's snout, feet, and tail poke out from the box)--but it's the sweetly and smartly imagined details of her animal neighborhood that make the story so delightful. Ages 3-7. (Aug.)

PreS-Gr 2--Who will deliver Mrs. Turtle's new roller skates? Who could possibly be brave enough to swim past a shark and deliver a package to a clownfish? A family of stinky skunks needs their air freshener, but how will it ever reach them? Mr. Postmouse, of course! Follow Mr. Postmouse as he delivers the mail: all the way from the post office, through the forest village, past the dragon's den, to the tip-top of a mountain and back again. Filled with thoughtful, clever details and whimsical, folksy illustrations, Mr. Postmouse's Rounds will delight older and younger readers alike as they peer into imaginative cut-away views of the underground world of rabbits, turtles, dragons, bats, penguins, and other animal friends. Best of all, there's a surprise for Mr. Postmouse when he returns home at the end of the story. Imaginations will feast on the lively vignettes and playful personalities of these creatures and their special residences. While the text remains minimal and easy to follow, the main draw is the artwork, which will have independent readers poring over page after page of visual glee. Simple text and highly detailed illustrations are interwoven to create scenes that will spark discussions, fostering vocabulary development and narrative skills. VERDICT Delightful and charming characters at every turn make this an exceptional addition to any picture book collection.--Natalie Braham, Denver Public Library