At Mary Bloom's

This is another of those works that is currently out of print which is an absolute shame as it is far, far superior to many of the books currently in publication for this age level. Written and published in 1976, it was a favorite for several years, in particular with little girls. My daughter still uses it in her first grade class room and it is one of the children's favorites. The story is simple; a little girl's pet mouse has just had babies! "I'll go tell Mary Bloom. But if I do, I know what will happen," says the little girl. The story then goes in to a repetitive sequence of what will happen at Mary Bloom's house, starting with the baby will cry, the dogs will bark, the cat will escape, the owl will shiver, the skink will shake, the magpie will call, the monkey will shriek and on it goes through the entire menagerie which is Mary Bloom's house. I guess I can identify with this book as it sounds much like our house when our children were wee ones. This is a great first reader. The wording is simple and each word is repeated several times. The illustrations are perfect. They are simple yet convey so much meaning and are simply...well cute! This is a wonderful read aloud book for a group of children and they do not seem to tire of it with repetitive readings. With the exception of a picture of a dial type phone in a couple of the pictures, the book is rather timeless and difficult to date which makes it all the better. This is one of those you need to dig out of the library or used book store and offer your little ones. As I said, it is a shame this work is no longer in print and we are going to end up loosing another good one. Don Blankenship The Ozarks

This book was a favorite of mine as a little girl, and it stands the test of time! The drawings are absolutely adorable and sweet, as are all of Aliki's books. The story is also cute. Besides Mary Bloom and her neighbor, the little girl, all the characters are animals, making their assorted sound. This book would be wonderful for a young new reader. It is absolutely a crime that this book is out of print!!!