Mouse, Look Out!: A Slide and Peek Book

My 3 1/2 year old loves this book! We have taken it out of the library so many times that he has it nearly memorized! His favorite thing to do with this book is to say "Mouse Look Out! There's a cat about!" every time it is said in the book. While he never tires of having the book read to him, I never tire of reading it. Very highly recommended.

A mysteriously abandoned mansion serves as a terrifically spooky setting for a cat-and-mouse tale. As the mouse slips through the "gate no one opened" and the "door no one knocked on," we fairly shout on every fourth page, "MOUSE, LOOK OUT! THERE'S A CAT ABOUT"--until the end, that is, when we shout for the cat to look out for someone else with orange eyes. The suspense of the simple plot is marvelously enriched by the rhythmic, rhyming verse, darkly realistic paintings, and the strange mystery--never explained--of why the long-ago owners of this ghostly mansion abandoned it with all their possessions still inside. This gives the book an unspoken subplot for imaginative ruminations on the side. The artist's sense of perspective brilliantly accentuates the vulnerability of the mouse and the menace of the cat, and end papers showing an ominous front view of the house in the beginning and a satisfying conclusion in the back garden at the end are unifying elements. An edge-of-your-seat tale just right for story time, slumber parties, and Halloween.

My 3 year old fell in love with this book immediately. The rhyme and rhythm of the poem make this an excellent bedtime story with its almost song like effect. The illustrations are clear yet have such depth that my child will stare at each page for several minutes, picking out the many details. If your child had fun finding the mouse in "Good Night Moon", he will love looking for the mysterious creature that watches from the shadows as the story unfolds.Though the plot could be viewed as kind of scary, the immages are depicted in very gentle and innocent drawings that leave the reader with a sense of comfort, not fright.

This is a refreshingly different children's book, with a playfully spooky atmosphere. The text includes words not often seen in toddler and young reader books, such as "creeping" and "creaking" with beautifully eerie illustrations. My son borrowed this book from the library so many times that we just had to buy it. As parents, we love the opportunity to read something to him that is not only verbally appealing but also visually enticing.

My two year old learned how to make shadows! He warns us about lurking cats and scurrying mice. The drama unfolds slowly and we find more in each illustration every time we read. This book is destined to become a classic.