Mouse Shapes - Softcover

Ellen Stoll Walsh

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1408300605 ISBN 13: 9781408300602

Publisher: Orchard Books, 2009

Synopsis

What can you make with one oval, two circles, and eight triangles? Just ask three clever mice--who even find a funny way to trick a sneaky cat.
           Ellen Stoll Walsh once again proves that she’s a master of concept books in this celebration of shapes, color, and innovation.

About this title

About the Author

ELLEN STOLL WALSH is the author-illustrator of many acclaimed books for young children, including Mouse Paint, Mouse Count, and Hamsters to the Rescue. She lives near Rochester, New York.

Review

 PreS, Another concept book by Walsh that has a simple story line and cut-paper collages. When a cat chases three mice, they hide in a heap of colorful shapes and make an assortment of pictures using them. First they use a square with a triangle on top to create a perfect house; later, they add two circles to a rectangle to make a wagon. They finally combine a bunch of shapes to create "three big scary mice" that frighten the cat away. The collage technique works well for distinguishing the brightly colored shapes, and the simple story is pitched perfectly for sharing with the youngest of listeners. Shelley B. Sutherland (School Library Journal )

When three little mice run from a cat, they find a cluster of brightly colored squares, triangles, rectangles, circles, ovals, and diamonds where they hide until he leaves. Soon they are moving the shapes about to create pictures: a house, a wagon, and even a cat. After the real cat pounces, they hatch a clever plan to scare him away. Just as visually appealing as Mouse Paint (1989) and Mouse Count (1991), this little book features simple, elegant page design using cut-and-torn-paper collage figures silhouetted against a clean, white background and framed by a strong black rectangle. Walsh accomplishes her purpose of teaching shapes subtly and playfully through the text and illustrations. Though the statement "any shape with three sides is a triangle" wouldn't pass muster in a geometry class, it may not raise much concern in the preschool or kindergarten classroom. Parents and teachers can easily extend the lesson and the fun by providing cutout colored-paper shapes for children to play with after the story ends.
(Booklist -Carolyn Phelan )

About this edition

• Publisher: Orchard Books
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 1408300605
• ISBN 13: 9781408300602
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 32