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Lunch
A very hungry mouse eats a large lunch comprised of colorful foods.
Paperback
First published January 1, 1992
About the author
Denise Fleming
45 books80 followersDenise Fleming has written and illustrated many children’s picture books, including In the Tall, Tall Grass, Shout! Shout It Out!, and Sleepy, Oh So Sleepy. She won a Caldecott Honor for In the Small, Small Pond. Denise creates her colorful illustrations by pouring colored paper pulp through hand-cut stencils. She lives in Toledo, Ohio.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 160 reviews
February 23, 2017
Super cute book, good for toddlers and preschoolers alike. Fun to turn into a "flannel board"--hold a little mouse and slide all the felt food over your arm while telling the story.
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February 2, 2020Text to the world connection: This book relates to the world because it talks about food and when you're hungry, you eat. Similarly, in the real world we eat when we're hungry. From vegetables, dairies, meats and etc. Without food, we cannot grow or even get the proper nutrients to function. That's why its important to eat the proper foods to be healthy and also to remember to eat when you're hungry just like the rat did in the story.
September 18, 2017
The book called Lunch is about a mouse who is very hungry and eats all kinds of vegetables and fruits. The illustrations greatly enhance the text of the book so much that even if a child was unable to read, they would still be able to understand the story based on the illustrations. This book would be perfect for either preschoolers or kindergarteners because of the simplicity of the text and the largeness of the font of the text.
September 16, 2013
Lunch by Denise Fleming | 1992
genre: concept, fiction
format: picture book
plot summary: A very hungry mouse eats a large lunch comprised of colorful foods.
red flags: none
selection source: Horn Book Magazine
recommended age: toddler, 2-3
genre: concept, fiction
format: picture book
plot summary: A very hungry mouse eats a large lunch comprised of colorful foods.
red flags: none
selection source: Horn Book Magazine
recommended age: toddler, 2-3
January 17, 2013
CLASS:
Baby and Me Music & Art Class
LINKS:
Mouse template can be found here, https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fb...)
BOOK SHARING:
I read Lunch! by Fleming during our class and included ASL baby signs that were food related (a few foods and signs like; more, eat, drink, all done, etc.) I also brought a few felt pieces of food items to put up on my felt board for babies to handle after and to see during storytime. I brought my mouse puppet as well and after the story I put pieces of felt (larger pieces are best in case babies get a hold of them, but remind parents to supervise babies when they are handling any small pieces) that looked like colorful food mess spots on the mouse puppet (like in the book).
Art Activity:
For the art activity I had previously made a fairly large (about 12" tall, I have a photo of the mouse I drew if you'd like to see or use it yourself here, https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fb...) mouse template based on the mouse in the book that I traced several times onto a large sheet of finger painting paper (I have a BIG roll I use and there was room to trace the mouse along each long side. I have between 6 and 14 babies normally who attend this class). I made enough tracings for each baby and used different colors for the outlines to make it more colorful. Caregivers and babies each found a mouse of their own and worked side by side to "make a mess" on the mouse using 2-4 finger paint colors (preferably from the book but not a big deal)and their hands.
OBSERVATIONS:
This was a fun and messy activity that allowed babies to see the image of the mouse in several contexts (story, puppet, art) and to explore acting out the story in a very simple way while exploring the medium of paint as well. Not all babies like to get messy to allow them to go at their own pace and have wash clothes ready for those who like to clean up often. Some children will want to get their whole body into the paint so either strip them down to diapers or have old clothes on. And of course some babies will just try to tear up the paper off the floor and this is fine too : )
NOTES:
*If you do not wish to trace or draw the smaller mice on the paper you could instead draw one very large mouse for all the children to paint together. You could also cut out mouse shapes for each child to have their own paper to work on if you don't have a large area on the floor to work on (I put a tarp down and taped the long sheet of paper on top. Or you could just have babies paint on the paper with the finger paints without a drawing.
CLASS:
Toddler Storybook Art Class
BOOK(s):
Mouse Mess & Lunch!
LINKS:
Mouse template can be found here, https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fb...)
BOOK SHARING:
I first read Mouse Mess by Riley then Lunch! by Fleming (you could do only one book if you had less time) during our class and included ASL signs that were food and mess related (I did mouse and a few foods signs and dirty and clean) I also used felt story pieces that I had made based on the book. I put a large felt mouse on the felt board and then passed out color splotches from the book to all the children (you can make more than one of each color used in the book so that all children have a piece to put up) and asked them to bring up their color when I read it in the book and stick it on the mouse to make him dirty. After the story we talked a little about healthy foods-I had cut up veggies for the project that I showed-and we talked about colors a little. I then explained the project briefly and asked the parents to help their child find a mouse drawing and to stand by it to make sure everyone had a spot.
Art Activity:
For the art activity I had previously traced my mouse template onto large sheets of white paper (11x17 I believe) so there was one for each child. (a photo of the mouse drawing I made is linked above) I decided to do a standing up, vertical project for variety so I had taped the sheets of paper around the room on the walls low enough for kids to reach and I placed the paints and printing materials on a long table in the center of the room. I only used about 4 colors and I had a tray of cut up vegetables (like small bell peppers, carrots, cauliflower, potatoes, etc) and one tray of plastic fruits and vegetables just to have more pattern variations (and in case of any food allergies or issues?). So basically the parents helped to guide the children back and forth between the paper and the center tables to select different “tools” and colors to “make a mess” by printing on the mouse outline.
OBSERVATIONS:
This was a fun and messy activity that allowed young children to see the image of the mouse in several contexts (story, felt activity, art) and to explore acting out the story in a very simple and fun way while exploring the medium of printmaking and textures as well. Not all children like to get messy so allow them to go at their own pace and have wash clothes ready for those who like to clean up often. It will be a bit chaotic with the walking back and forth and sharing of tools and materials but I think this is an important part of the project for the children and the caregivers to share and to listen to directions. I also think toddlers enjoy moving around while they make art and hanging paper on the wall vertically is a great way to change up an activity that you have done before.
NOTES:
*Expect this project to be messy! I offer t-shirts to children to put over their clothes if they want to use them but paint will get everywhere. Do not do this project if you don’t want paint on the floor, walls, and each other. Also, you could turn this into a mural or group project by instead drawing one very large mouse on a giant piece of paper or material for all the children to paint together.
Baby and Me Music & Art Class
LINKS:
Mouse template can be found here, https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fb...)
BOOK SHARING:
I read Lunch! by Fleming during our class and included ASL baby signs that were food related (a few foods and signs like; more, eat, drink, all done, etc.) I also brought a few felt pieces of food items to put up on my felt board for babies to handle after and to see during storytime. I brought my mouse puppet as well and after the story I put pieces of felt (larger pieces are best in case babies get a hold of them, but remind parents to supervise babies when they are handling any small pieces) that looked like colorful food mess spots on the mouse puppet (like in the book).
Art Activity:
For the art activity I had previously made a fairly large (about 12" tall, I have a photo of the mouse I drew if you'd like to see or use it yourself here, https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fb...) mouse template based on the mouse in the book that I traced several times onto a large sheet of finger painting paper (I have a BIG roll I use and there was room to trace the mouse along each long side. I have between 6 and 14 babies normally who attend this class). I made enough tracings for each baby and used different colors for the outlines to make it more colorful. Caregivers and babies each found a mouse of their own and worked side by side to "make a mess" on the mouse using 2-4 finger paint colors (preferably from the book but not a big deal)and their hands.
OBSERVATIONS:
This was a fun and messy activity that allowed babies to see the image of the mouse in several contexts (story, puppet, art) and to explore acting out the story in a very simple way while exploring the medium of paint as well. Not all babies like to get messy to allow them to go at their own pace and have wash clothes ready for those who like to clean up often. Some children will want to get their whole body into the paint so either strip them down to diapers or have old clothes on. And of course some babies will just try to tear up the paper off the floor and this is fine too : )
NOTES:
*If you do not wish to trace or draw the smaller mice on the paper you could instead draw one very large mouse for all the children to paint together. You could also cut out mouse shapes for each child to have their own paper to work on if you don't have a large area on the floor to work on (I put a tarp down and taped the long sheet of paper on top. Or you could just have babies paint on the paper with the finger paints without a drawing.
CLASS:
Toddler Storybook Art Class
BOOK(s):
Mouse Mess & Lunch!
LINKS:
Mouse template can be found here, https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fb...)
BOOK SHARING:
I first read Mouse Mess by Riley then Lunch! by Fleming (you could do only one book if you had less time) during our class and included ASL signs that were food and mess related (I did mouse and a few foods signs and dirty and clean) I also used felt story pieces that I had made based on the book. I put a large felt mouse on the felt board and then passed out color splotches from the book to all the children (you can make more than one of each color used in the book so that all children have a piece to put up) and asked them to bring up their color when I read it in the book and stick it on the mouse to make him dirty. After the story we talked a little about healthy foods-I had cut up veggies for the project that I showed-and we talked about colors a little. I then explained the project briefly and asked the parents to help their child find a mouse drawing and to stand by it to make sure everyone had a spot.
Art Activity:
For the art activity I had previously traced my mouse template onto large sheets of white paper (11x17 I believe) so there was one for each child. (a photo of the mouse drawing I made is linked above) I decided to do a standing up, vertical project for variety so I had taped the sheets of paper around the room on the walls low enough for kids to reach and I placed the paints and printing materials on a long table in the center of the room. I only used about 4 colors and I had a tray of cut up vegetables (like small bell peppers, carrots, cauliflower, potatoes, etc) and one tray of plastic fruits and vegetables just to have more pattern variations (and in case of any food allergies or issues?). So basically the parents helped to guide the children back and forth between the paper and the center tables to select different “tools” and colors to “make a mess” by printing on the mouse outline.
OBSERVATIONS:
This was a fun and messy activity that allowed young children to see the image of the mouse in several contexts (story, felt activity, art) and to explore acting out the story in a very simple and fun way while exploring the medium of printmaking and textures as well. Not all children like to get messy so allow them to go at their own pace and have wash clothes ready for those who like to clean up often. It will be a bit chaotic with the walking back and forth and sharing of tools and materials but I think this is an important part of the project for the children and the caregivers to share and to listen to directions. I also think toddlers enjoy moving around while they make art and hanging paper on the wall vertically is a great way to change up an activity that you have done before.
NOTES:
*Expect this project to be messy! I offer t-shirts to children to put over their clothes if they want to use them but paint will get everywhere. Do not do this project if you don’t want paint on the floor, walls, and each other. Also, you could turn this into a mural or group project by instead drawing one very large mouse on a giant piece of paper or material for all the children to paint together.
September 19, 2018
I enjoyed reading this book a lot. Well written concept book. It is about a mouse who has an appetite that longs for all kinds of fruits and vegetables. The simple narrative takes readers and listeners through a review of colors and healthy food. It would work well in units on food, colors and language. This book would be perfect for either preschoolers or kindergarteners because of the simplicity of the text and the largeness of the font of the text. The illustrator does a great job of highlighting the intended color in the food and amongst the background on each page. The illustrations, created in handmade paper, are great and very brightly colored. It can be used to make predictions by readers. At the end, the mouse takes a nap and when he wakes up it is dinnertime. The enthusiastic mouse is the star of the story and keeps the reader reading. You can also create a lot of activities to go along with this book!
January 30, 2019
Lunch by Denise Fleming is a very interesting book to me. I find that i enjoy some parts of the book but not the entire book. The text is minimal with only a few words of each page. There isn't very much of a story just a little mouse going across a table eating the food that has been left out. This makes me feel as if children would lose interest in the book very quickly. On the other hand some children my enjoy the book, because in the illustrations there is a little tease to what the mouse is going to eat next. So if a parent were reading the book this gives them a chance to play an interactive role with the child. The child could try to guess what the mouse is going to eat next. I think the illustrations were kind of dull not very much pop in colors just the main images with little detail. With that being said not my favorite book but I still think that children could really enjoy this book depending on who and how it is read aloud to them.
January 13, 2025
Mouse eats a delicious lunch of many colorful fruits and vegetables!
A great mix of potentially unfamiliar vocabulary (crisp, turnip, tender, tart) with the familiar experience of being very hungry and going HAM. Utilizes the drama of the page-turning pause in a really satisfying way. Depending on the size of the group I could hand out play food to each child and have them drop it in a basket as mouse eats it OR use colored scarves OR adapt this into a flannel board. much to consider.
A great mix of potentially unfamiliar vocabulary (crisp, turnip, tender, tart) with the familiar experience of being very hungry and going HAM. Utilizes the drama of the page-turning pause in a really satisfying way. Depending on the size of the group I could hand out play food to each child and have them drop it in a basket as mouse eats it OR use colored scarves OR adapt this into a flannel board. much to consider.
October 8, 2017
Lunch is a nice picture book that introduces the concept of food and colors to young readers. The illustrator does a great job of highlighting the intended color in the food and amongst the background on each page. I would recommend this book for Pre-School - 1st grade. A great way to get students to participate by naming each color and fruit.
July 1, 2022
A book full of colors that allows for little ones to complete the sentence, word. This book is written like a puzzlz showing a portion of the fruit and a word hint. I was pleasantly surprised and had fun reading it to my LO. Side note: i couldn't read the book title because the L looks more like an F..i thought 'funch' what's that!!. Once I turned the page, it made sense.
September 20, 2022
The first book Oliver checked out in his daycare's new library program! I love knowing that Oliver looked at the options and decided on this book. Dad and I completely expected him to select a book that we already have and have read many times. But Oliver actually picked a brand new book that we get to read for the week!
October 2, 2018
This book contained many colors and foods. It was a bout one hungry mouse and what the next thing he was going to eat for dinner. This would give the reader more insight on how to explain certain types of food.
January 13, 2023
I was reminded of Templeton the rat scarfing down leftovers at the fair in "Charlotte's Web." A mouse eats a very large lunch in this simple reader that focuses on identifying colors. Unlike Templeton, all of this rodent's food choices are healthy ones!
October 17, 2023
Very sparse text, beautiful bright bold colors as the mouse is so hungry he eats lots of vegetables.
Illustrations make by using a technique called pulp painting using handcrafted paper.
Copyrighted 1992
Illustrations make by using a technique called pulp painting using handcrafted paper.
Copyrighted 1992
January 14, 2025
Charming little book ripe (lol) for discussing the benefits of eating a wide variety of fruits and vegetables instead of always the same. Fun anticipation with the color on one page and finding out the actually type of food on the next page.
August 2, 2018
Read it to some toddlers. Not a huge fan of the artwork.
August 9, 2018
Delightfully rendered tale with illustrations enhancing this amusing tale!
September 21, 2018
Colors & foods & guessing games.
December 13, 2018
Mouse had a great lunch! B
January 10, 2019
Good for a 3 year old.
March 27, 2019
Cute colors and drawings
April 12, 2019
Clever little book combining food and colors.
I like the layout - that way the kiddos can try to guess what food might be next based on the color (and the edge of the illustration)
I like the layout - that way the kiddos can try to guess what food might be next based on the color (and the edge of the illustration)
April 13, 2019
Love this author
This does not disappoint
good book for preschool
This does not disappoint
good book for preschool
August 15, 2019
Simple story of a mouse who eats a white turnip, orange carrot, blue berries, etc. etc. A good one for preschoolers to guess what the next food is and toddlers to identify their colors.
October 3, 2019
Cute and simple book. I plan on using it for a healthy eating lesson about eating foods with all the colors.
November 7, 2019
Super simple and few words. Great for 1-2s. The art is abstract-ish and so it may be difficult for the kids to recognize what fruit/vegetable is being pictured. But it's still worthwhile!!
March 4, 2020
Light hearted board book about colors and a hungry mouse.
March 4, 2021
The pictures in this book didn't do it for me though the books concept was a good one.
May 19, 2022
Funny.
December 20, 2022
Denise Fleming is bilingual storytime's favorite author. This book is easy to translate and teaches kids both fruit/vegetable names and colors. Thank you, Denise!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 160 reviews