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Holiday Mice

Halloween Mice!

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In a sprightly tale in verse with engaging watercolor illustrations, four tiny mice dress in costume for a Halloween romp in a pumpkin patch and meet a hungry black cat.

32 pages, Library Binding

First published August 21, 1995

5 people are currently reading
182 people want to read

About the author

Bethany Roberts

44 books17 followers
I've wanted to be a children's book author as far back as I can remember. When I was eight years old I wrote a story about a rabbit. I am still writing stories about rabbits- and mice, cats, children, monsters, and dragons!

When I was growing up, I was the neighborhood storyteller. I would make up stories on the spot for younger children in the neighborhood. I read a lot of books. But I was also a bit of a tomboy. I spent much of my time outdoors, usually barefoot, climbing trees and stone-hopping across brooks.

On my way to becoming a children's book author, I was also a teacher and a children's librarian. I always liked story hours best. When my own children, Krista and Melissa, were small, I read to them constantly- stacks and stacks of books. I think I learned the most about writing from all that reading.

Today I live in Hamden, Connecticut, with my wonderfully encouraging and supportive husband, our two daughters, and our cat. We live in a white house with lots of flowers.

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5 stars
127 (24%)
4 stars
105 (20%)
3 stars
202 (39%)
2 stars
66 (12%)
1 star
9 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 57 reviews
Profile Image for Mortisha Cassavetes.
2,840 reviews65 followers
October 22, 2017
A Halloween picture book that follows a bunch of mice dressed up for the holiday and their spirited fun. Very cute Illustrations and a fun story for the kids. I would recommend this to everyone for a nice Halloween Night read.
Profile Image for Asho.
1,862 reviews12 followers
December 2, 2018
I'm finally getting a chance to sit down and catch up on entering recently read books, but now "recently read" is several weeks ago, as we read this before Halloween. Now, sitting down in November to write about it, I find that I can't remember much about it. So, that's the gist, i guess. From what I recall it's a cute, simple rhyming story about mice who go out on Halloween. Definitely not my favorite of the Halloween books we've read.
Profile Image for Pen&Quill  Read.
215 reviews72 followers
October 7, 2022
✨ Quills thoughts...

Hurry, scurry. Whisk whisk. Halloween mice dance and party under the midnight moon. Tisk tisk, Halloween cat comes creeping up the path. Think, think! Mice come up with a plan, wait to see the shadows loom!


Aww, I remember this book from my childhood! Still so cute, perfect October read for little ones!
Profile Image for Alyson.
97 reviews7 followers
November 12, 2022
There is something so endearing about Bethany Roberts' "Halloween Mice." Her words, coupled with illustrator Doug Gushman's artistic vision, are just plain fun. What kid wouldn't want to read about mice scampering around in Halloween costumes!

My favorite lines are: "Halloween mice are midnight dancers, swirling in the moonlight. Twirl, twirl!"
Profile Image for Lynn  Davidson.
8,204 reviews35 followers
November 14, 2020
This cute story is about four little mice who dress up and go out for Hallowe'en. When they have a party in the pumpkin patch they have an uninvited cat visitor, so they make a plan to fool him. Fun illustrations.
Profile Image for Sue.
751 reviews
October 26, 2017
Read this to the Kindergarteners, simple rhyming verse about what the mice see in shadows on Halloween.
585 reviews3 followers
July 5, 2018
Pictures are great but the story is a little too odd.
Profile Image for Kest Schwartzman.
Author 1 book12 followers
December 15, 2018
the illustrations are pretty cute, with some nice Rackham referances in the silhouettes against the moon.
Profile Image for Michael Lent.
Author 49 books4 followers
July 9, 2019
Excellent first reader book full of drama and fun sound effects.
1,439 reviews7 followers
September 23, 2019
Great Halloween vibes. I wasn't too impressed with it but I'm not the target audience. I'm sure kids will enjoy.
407 reviews4 followers
October 2, 2019
The illustrations were entertaining and detailed. The sentence structures were a little frustrating. The words used for onomatopoeia were new ones for us and opened conversation about their meaning.
22 reviews
October 23, 2019
It's an okay book about mice going out on Halloween. A little silly, kitty's who are just staring to read should like it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
689 reviews
Read
April 9, 2023
The story and words reminded me of Cookie Boo
Profile Image for Rose Rosetree.
Author 15 books476 followers
June 24, 2023
Simple, sprightly verse -- that's the aim.
While the audience is very young picture book readers.

Toddlers may enjoy this action-packed story.
Profile Image for Lorellie.
1,007 reviews23 followers
October 21, 2023
Beautiful illustrations. The story is simple and cute. Tot really enjoyed it.
Profile Image for Nicole Smith.
133 reviews
October 15, 2022
Love the illustrations. The mice are so cute! Cute story told in very simple verse. Highly recommend for a Halloween read aloud for pre schooler age.
Profile Image for Dolly.
Author 1 book670 followers
October 20, 2011
This is a cute and not too scary Halloween story with adorable illustrations and fun onomatopoeia. While there's not too much to the story itself, it's a fun book to read aloud. It's short enough to keep a younger child's interest.

I like that the narrative is simple enough that we could each take turns reading. In fact, our youngest wanted to read the whole book to us tonight, and her sister insisted on being able to read a page or so, too. We enjoyed this story, told as much by the illustrations as by the narrative.

It appears that there's a whole series of these stories featuring mice during various holidays and events. I'm not sure that we'll go out of our way to read the others, but I'm sure they are all light and fun reads for children.
Profile Image for Kate Puleo Unger.
1,590 reviews23 followers
August 22, 2016
Halloween Mice is a Level 1 easy reader, but it's the kind that doesn't really tell a cohesive story. It's full of onomatopoeias and statements about what the mice are doing, but Christopher was a little bored by it. I think even a true level 1 reader might have been.

The mice are out in costume on Halloween night, and they run into a cat. They have to devise a plan to get away from the cat, but up until that point, the story is a little all over the place: dancing in the moonlight in the pumpkin patch at midnight. I didn't follow the motivation. It wasn't something kids associate with Halloween, except that they were in costume.

http://www.momsradius.com/2016/06/juv...
Profile Image for Melanie.
281 reviews
October 7, 2009
I didn't find this book particularly entertaining, but my preschooler did. She enjoyed looking for the cat sneaking up on the mice in the illustrations. She laughs over and over at the end when the little mouse yells Boo and then will run around yelling Boo herself. The shadow the mice make to frighten away the cat was a little scary to her until I explained it was the mice playing a trick on the cat. I found the text a little odd and didn't think it flowed well, but if my daughter likes it then it's a holiday winner.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Rosa Cline.
3,328 reviews44 followers
October 9, 2015
What an adorable Halloween storybook for a young reader and-or child listener! Illustrations are wonderful to match the simple one to sentences per page story. The adorable little mice are dressed in costumes and they sneak out to go to a party in the pumpkin patch. They have a fun time dancing and just having a good time when they see and hear a CAT coming! They get together and make their own shadow and scare the cat away... time to go home it's getting late everyone yawns. They get in bed to go to bed but will they all go to sleep? Not the littlest one... BOO!
Profile Image for Sandybear76.
1,632 reviews1 follower
October 16, 2011
I picked up this book for part of the read aloud for 3 first grade classes. It was a bit young for them but they enjoyed it anyway. It was a quick read. I like all the sounds the little mice make throughout the book. The mice had a plan to scare the cat. The kids liked that!!

So cute.The kindergarteners and preschoolers enjoyed this slightly spooky but friendly book. I love Roberts' books. Her use of sounds and movement in her books are great in the holiday books she writes.
Profile Image for Janet.
3,689 reviews37 followers
February 6, 2024
Ah, the mice dress for Halloween and are off for a scamper through the pumpkin patch. What mouse story would be complete and here comes the cat. Ingenious was to scare the cat. Loved the illustrations and great proportion of the mice with the pumpkins. Delightful.

I did a reread of this online this morning and even though it is over 20 years since it was published, it’s a great story for Halloween and how the mice enjoy themselves and at one point outwit the cat!
Profile Image for Eva-Marie Nevarez.
1,701 reviews135 followers
October 8, 2010
Eh. Calling this average would be being nice. Giving it two stars would be the same.
The only thing I could say, good, about this book would be that for a very, very young child, I'm talking baby here, it would be good to hear the words said over, used with proper inflection of course.
I can't think of another thing and that's stretching it to be honest.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 57 reviews

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