A Delicious Story
by Barney Saltzberg (Author)
Two mice—one big and one small—have a terrible problem. Little Mouse is looking for a story—they’re in a book, after all!—and Big Mouse has to admit the truth. The story is gone. And (gasp!) he ate it. That is not okay with Little Mouse, who is all ready to hear a story and will settle for nothing less. Saltzberg's improvisational dialogue showcases both the patience required of true creativity and the dazzling on-the-spot storytelling that can happen when you get in the flow. In the end, these endearing mice work out their conflict— and make the reader realize that they’ve been delivering a story all along. Parents and children will want to take this satisfying comedic journey together again and again.
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Publishers Weekly
A small blue mouse walks onto an opening page of this picture book looking to find the volume's story. Instead, it discovers a larger gray mouse wearing a blissful expression. When pressed, the second mouse acknowledges that the book once housed a telling with pictures--even "a beginning, a middle, and an end"--and it eventually confesses to having eaten the tale. The story-consuming rodent offers to make amends, even though conjuring up a replacement puts on the pressure: "How do you expect me to make up a story while you watch?" Minimally detailed digital ink line drawings with soft washes of fill-in color appear against the blank background of the storyless pages, but Saltzberg (We Are Expecting You!) gets lots of mileage from his characters' expressive argy-bargy. The big mouse eventually recycles the book's opening incident into a new tale, and throws in a friendly green dragon as an added surprise, resulting in a light, cartooned meta-comedy combined with an object lesson in thinking on one's feet. Ages 3-6. Agent: Rosemary Stimola, Stimola Literary. (June)
Copyright 2023 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.School Library Journal
PreS-Gr 2--In a fun book perfect for new readers, a small mouse is in search of a story when he finds a friend instead. Drawn in thick black lines of ink, a small mouse wanders into the right side of a spread and encounters a big mouse resting on the left. The big mouse admits there was a story there--a delicious one--but he ate it! As he tries to think of a story to share with the small mouse, he takes some time away from the page, hoping solitude will bring inspiration. When he finally begins to share a story, both the small mouse and the big mouse get a surprise ending. Clean, crisp pages show the mice together in front of a white background, with large, easy-to-read text placing emphasis on certain words and exclamations. As in Chris Raschka's Yo, Yes!, Saltzberg proves that friendship does not rely on word count. Readers will love looking in on the conversation, with the playful back-and-forth perfect for fans of Mo Willems. VERDICT A silly story that will see many re-reads and is ideal for reading aloud, this title should be a hit.--Selenia Paz
Copyright 2023 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.Review quotes
JUV002180 - Juvenile Fiction | Animals | Mice, Hamsters, Guinea Pigs, etc.
JUV046000 - Juvenile Fiction | Visionary & Metaphysical
Picture books
