Oops, Pounce, Quick, Run!: An Alphabet Caper

by Mike Twohy

A little mouse is asleep until a ball suddenly bounces into his home, setting off an epic chase—from A to Z.

This clever alphabet caper is from celebrated New Yorker cartoonist Mike Twohy.

Genres: Picture Books, Animals, Storytime, Childrens, Dogs, Humor, Fiction

32 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 16, 2016

About the author

MIKE TWOHY

Cartoonist Mike Twohy has been a regular contributor to The New Yorker magazine for over three decades. He has also drawn cartoons for a wide variety of other publications (from Ranger Rick to The National Law Journal) and created a syndicated panel, That’s Life, which found humor in everyday situations. The most recent of several books he has illustrated is titled Teaching Opera, the Role of the Opera Workshop, a project close to his heart since his wife, Linda, is a violinist in the San Francisco Opera Orchestra and he became an opera fan years ago.

A compulsive doodler from an early age, Mike’s career actually began when, as a kid growing up in Northern California, he wrote and illustrated a neighborhood newspaper complete with full comics page, each strip drawn in a different style. In high school he drew a weekly sports cartoon for The Palo Alto Times and later, while majoring in art at San Jose State University, worked as an illustrator of math and reading workbooks. He went on to earn an M.F.A. degree in painting from the University of California at Berkeley with the intention of continuing to paint and possibly teach, but became addicted to freelancing after selling his first cartoons to magazines.

Mike became an avid storyteller when his children were young, entertaining them nightly with bedtime stories and daily with “funky chicken” lunchbox cartoons. His first picture book is scheduled to be released by Paula Wiseman Books/Simon & Schuster in the Spring of 2011 and is about a shy pig named Poindexter who likes to read.

He lives in Berkeley, California with his wife, cat, and Newfoundland.
PIPPIN PROPERTIES, INC. 155 EAST 38TH STREET, SUITE 2H NEW YORK, NY 10016 212 338 9310

Reviews

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cute story told by beginning each declarative word with the subsequent letter of the alphabet. A small mouse begins a game of ball with a dog, only to stir up some ire. This leads to a chase around the house and, eventually, the mouse is caught, but sneaks away before things get too hectic. But the end, currying favour seems to be the only way to get the mouse and dog to remain friends. Neo liked this story and I made him identify the letters as we read before bed. While perhaps below his level of comprehension, I needed a quick piece before sending him to dreamland.

[Mississippi Library Commission · Rating 5 out of 5]

With just a few words on each page and an energetic and entertaining tale to follow, Ooops, Pounce, Quick, Run! is an alphabet book that will draw even the youngest readers in. Adorable illustrations accompany each letter as Dog and Mouse's story unfolds. Loved this one!

[KC · Rating 3 out of 5]

An abc chase between a mouse and a dog!

[molliekay]

An alphabet book that I could read in storytime!

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very clever.

A story using one word starting with each letter in the alphabet (title: O, P, Q, R). And, well written, it even made me chuckle out loud reading to myself.

Summarizing: good for young readers to retell- they can add words to make complete sentences.
Inferring: use the word and picture to gather the meaning and watch the action.
ESL: like a story, picture dictionary for nouns and verbs

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is such a fun take on an alphabet book...it tells a story of a mouse being chased by a dog using each letter of the alphabet (as well as the darling illustrations) to tell the story. This would be a really fun read for a preschool/kdg. classroom. (It does have two letters that aren't the best choices for actually teaching letter sound correspondence...e is eye and o is oops.)

[Becky · Rating 5 out of 5]

First sentence:

Aleep
Ball
Catch
Dog
Eye
Feet
Grrrr
Help!
I'll chase!
Jump
Kitchen
Living Room

Premise/plot: Oops, Pounce, Quick, Run! is an alphabet caper by Mike Twohy. Without using a single complete sentence, Twohy packs adventure and drama into his story. It stars a dog and a mouse.

My thoughts: I really enjoyed Stop, Go, Yes, No! A Story Of Opposites. So I decided to read the first book, Oops, Pounce, Quick, Run! Both books star this lovable dog. I really LOVED both books. They are great fun. They are good for pre-readers, early readers, and readers of all ages.

Text: 5 out of 5
Illustrations: 4 out of 5
Total: 9 out of 10

[Becky B · Rating 5 out of 5]

With just one or two words per page, and each word or phrase starting with the next letter in the alphabet, the story of the adventures of a mouse and a dog are told.

A very fun alphabet book that also manages to tell a story (not always a given with alphabet books). Quite clever and cute.

[J · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fun book. The conclusion is very cute.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A clever ABC book with a story

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick alphabet adventure with a mouse and a dog... perfect for Story Time as there are just 1-3 words per page. Plus tons of action.

[Cindy Dobrez · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m in love with this book. The action-packed illustrations that move the tale along are simple and full of humor. The abundant white space and black line drawings give this a whiteboard and magic marker look, while colorful first letters highlight its alphabetic instruction.

After reading it, I was tempted to create an alphabetic caper of my own, and I’m sure elementary school-aged children would, too; even a sequence of three or four letters with drawings could make for a fun project. I’m even considering putting a copy out for my middle-school students to read—they could stand to brush up on alphabetical order. I’m here to tell you: It’s a dying skill.

Check out the rest of our comments about this book at our September Bookends Blog post.

I've been giving this as a baby shower gift with a set of alphabet blocks.

Congrats on the 2017 Theodor Seuss Geisel Honor!

[The Library Lady · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mouse is Asleep (that capital is not an error), when Ball rolls into his mouse hole and he Catches it.
And soon the wet nose of Dog is poking into his mouse hole.

You get the idea. We go from A to Z as Dog chases Ball and Mouse through the house, but it all ends happily since Mouse is very smart and Dog isn't. And all ends happily with the two of them curled up together, friends.

If Twohy was a ball player, I'd wish he batted for the Mets, because he knocks this one out of the park. A perfect balance of droll art and minimal text, my only wish is that Dog was Cat. Perhaps in another book, one which I'll look forward to reading.

[Elisabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't usually read alphabet books, but a bookseller read this aloud to me at a library conference. I loved that there is a story connecting letters A to Z instead of just random objects or even a theme. Q, X, and Z nearly always seem like a stretch in alphabet books but this "story" approach didn't make me squirm like those do. The story is super cute, too!

[Shelley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I adored this book. And ABC book that told a funny, simple story.

[Vicki · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great ABC book with a dog chasing a mouse. Most unique that a story is told rather than items shown starting with the letters of the alphabet.

[Stacey Mulholland · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun twist on an alphabet book

Congratulations on the Geisel award

[Antonia Bartolomeo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Title: “Oops, Pounce, Quick, Run!”
Author and Illustrator: Mike Twohy
Genre: Children’s Literature, Alphabet Book
Theme: To teach toddlers as well as children letter identification as well as the alphabet.
Opening Line/Sentence: “Asleep” or “A little mouse is asleep until a ball suddenly bounces into his home, setting off an epic chase – from A-Z.” Depending on what you consider the beginning page.
Brief Book Summary: This is an alphabet book that tells the tale of a Dog accidently rolling his ball into a Mouse’s house. The Dog chases the Mouse all throughout the house, but in the end, the Mouse gives the Dog the ball as a present.
Professional Recommendation/Review #1:
• Kirkus Review
• “Some of the word choices are obvious, such as Pounce, Quick, Run, Wag, and only a few are unexpected: Missing, Nowhere, Unwrap, and Xoxo.”
• Website
• https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-re...
Professional Recommendation/Review #2:
• Megan Dowd Lambert
• Hornbook Magazine Article
• “Shelves may groan under the weight of abecedaries, but this one stands out with its use of alphabetic structure to tell a spare, fast-paced story through cartoon illustrations that excel at conveying movement.”
• http://www.hbook.com/2016/02/choosing...
Response to Two Reviews: I loved this book! I thought it was unique considering most alphabet books do not contain a particular plot with this much detail. Taking the professional recommendations into consideration, I agree with the Hornbook review. I do think there is a surplus of alphabet books in libraries, but Oops, Pounce, Quick, Run, offers a story corresponding with teaching readers the letters of the alphabet. On the other hand, I disagree with the Kirkus review because I do not think the word for letter choices need to be criticized that harshly.
Evaluation of Literary Elements: Taking Molly Bang’s Picture This! in consideration, I believe Twohy does an excellent job with the illustrations. The first letter of each word is bigger than the rest, drawling the reader’s attention to it. This makes it comprehendible that the first letter of the word is important and has a purpose. Its purpose is to show that each verb, noun, or adjective in the story is going in alphabetical order. While thinking about the literary elements, illustrations in alphabet books are supposed to be clear, noticeable, and not too detailed. Oops, Pounce, Quick, Run does an excellent job of attracting the reader’s attention to the word, and the illustration directly corresponds with the word that is on the page.
Consideration of Instructional Application: In context of instructional application after reading “Oops, Pounce, Quick, Run!” I can have my students construct their own alphabet book, with their very own plot during reader’s workshop. This activity could even follow into writer’s workshop, for an all around lesson plan for a couple of days in the classroom! I can then have a couple of children share their alphabet books with their peers.

[Lisa Edwards · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this book demonstrated the Alphabet in such a clever way. Personally, from my perspective, I have only encountered Alphabet books for children derived in one of two ways. The first consisting of the letter of the Alphabet, supported by a picture or multiple pictures of the word(s) that begin with that letter, typically accompanied by the written text to support the visual(s). The other form of an Alphabet book has told a story but tends to be over informational, too busy, even appearing "junked up" which then takes away from the entire concept of being an Alphabet book. For me, the focus of an Alphabet book should remain on point with the task at hand which is assisting children who are learning, practicing, and mastering the Alphabet. Mike Twony hit the nail on the head with his version and vision that he delivered with his book; "Oops, Pounce, Quick, Run!" This book is a perfect fit for all children and is well-equipped to support those levels. It was done in the most simplistic, unique, and entertaining form and I loved it. It covered all the bases in that it delivered the Alphabet in an obvious manner just as an Alphabet book should, all while tying in a very short story that not only made sense and had flow, but it was memorable, had depth and carried meaning, all while still keeping the pages clean so the focus could be where it should be.

[Mama Bibliosoph · Rating 4 out of 5]

A mouse is asleep when a ball rolls into his mouse-hole. The ball belongs to a dog, so of course, an epic chase begins!

The spare, all-white background helps kids easily focus on the important elements of the story. One word appears on each page and the first letter of that word begins with the next letter in the alphabet. So our story goes (spoilers!): Asleep, Ball, Catch, Dog, Eye, Feet, Grrrr, Help!, I'll chase, Jump, Kitchen, Living Room, Missing, Nowhere, Oops, Pounce, Quick!, Run, Safe, To Dog, Unwrap, Very cool, Wag, XOXO, Yes!, Zzzz

I had to actively point out the alphabet pattern to my sons, but once I did, they enjoyed labeling the next letter and saying "F is for Feet", etc. as I read aloud.

There is so little text that I find this book very useful for practicing novel story construction, using the language of cause and effect, and practicing sequencing. To do this, you have to try to engage the child in describing what is happening and what happens next.

This is a high-energy book and it helps tons if it is read with a lot of excitement for the action!

[Sunah Chung · Rating 4 out of 5]

As the title indicates, this book is an alphabet book with illustrations of a dog and a mouse in a jolly, skipping movement. Every page introduces one illustrated alphabet letter in order to deliver a story. One or two words are introduced to represent the illustrations. For instance, the word "stop" is on one page with illustration of a dog stopping in front of the mouse hole on the wall.
The illustrator did a great job to illustrating the active and playful movement of a dog and a mouse. Lines, which represent movements of the animals as well as objects such as a ball, add playful movements of the actions. Simple illustrations with spacious backgrounds would help young readers focus on story and the alphabets. The first syllable of each word has colors which distinguish the alphabet to readers. English language learners might like this book because of the easy words and simple story line.

[Consuelo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oops, Pounce, Quick, Run!: An Alphabet Caper (Hardcover) by Mike Twohy

The book received one award: Theodor Seuss Geisel Honor (2017).

The book is appropriate for Preschool and Kindergarten.

Oops, Pounce, Quick, Run!: An Alphabet Caper by Mike Twohy is from A to Z with words and illustrations in between. It's about a little mouse is asleep until a ball suddenly bounces into his home, setting off an epic chase.

The book is very funny! Although there may not be many words, he is very clever in the way he decided to tell the story. Each page has one words, but it's in alphabetical order. From start to finish he tells you what happens to the little mouse with one word!

The book would be used for two in class possibilities. The first in class possibility would be that it would help students to remember how the alphabet goes. The second possibility would be that students can try to come up with words that would start with that following letter.

[Victoria Lambert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oops Pounce Quick Run! is an early concept informational picture book based on the alphabet. There is a lot of white on each page, but the white space is used in the story in various ways. There is only a word or two on each page, but they are in a large text size with the first letter in a bright color. The text follows alphabet order (Asleep, Ball, Catch...). Each picture tells the story of a mouse catching a ball that came through the mouse hole. The dog reaches in and the mouse runs for its life. The dog chases it all around the house until it gets back into its hole. Realizing what the dog wants, the mouse gives it the ball back and then they are friends. The pictures are minimalistic, so the reader isn't distracted and can notice each letter of the alphabet as they move through the story. On some of the pages, the text moves with the picture by curving around it or tilting. Overall, it is a great book for an alphabet learner or an early reader.

[Nolan Winter · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is for beginning readers. The book goes through all the letters of the alphabet while still telling a story about a dog. Each page has a different word or phrase that begins with the next letter of the alphabet. The story however is about a dog who spends the day chasing around a mouse until the mouse eventually gives the dog a ball and then the dog chases the ball instead of the mouse. If you are trying to teach someone to read I recommend this book because it is easy to read with only a couple words on each page and it makes the reader familiar with words from every letter of alphabet. Mike Twohy does a great job with the illustrations as well and any child can follow along with the pictures and can visually see what is happening in the story. This book should be on every toddlers book shelf.

[Savanah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is so much fun to read! The reader follows an adorable little dog and mouse chase as they go through the letters of the alphabet. This book would be a perfect option for emerging readers because the context clues of the illustrations help decode the text easily and the letter are nice and big so they can be read with ease. I love the sweet ending when the dog and the mouse become friends at the end after the mouse gives him a present. This book is definitely best fit for a Pre-K through K classroom because it is teaching the alphabet. A fun idea for the classroom would be to read this book to class and then have them create their own alphabet caper books. Kids could create their own characters and story line that also goes through all of the letters of the alphabet. Overall I love this book and it will be used in my classroom.

[Hailey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oops, Pounce, Quick, Run!: An Alphabet Caper is an adorable book for beginning readers in assisting them in learning about the alphabet in a fun way where a mouse is asleep at first and then eventually follows the ball. Each page has a different letter with a word, however, each page tells a part of the story and shows a image of the particular item or person. I like how the book is very short and sweet due to the fact that young kids reading the book could easily lose interest. The book is adorable and tells a unique story of a little mouse struggling to catch the ball that is currently bouncing around the house that results in an exploration of A-Z. I would use this book if I was working with preschoolers or kindergarteners who are just learning about the alphabet to support their learning in a fun and silly way.

[Lauren Carr · Rating 5 out of 5]

This alphabet book does a great job at not only highlighting the alphabet but also tells an innocent story as well. First and foremost, the purpose of this story is to teach children the alphabet, this is accomplished by placing one letter on each page, enlarging it and placing it in color. This pulls great attention and focuses on the target letter. In most cases, the letter is paired with a single word, with each word correlating together to tell a story. Furthermore, the illustrator is careful to create images that are engaging enough to keep a reader interested yet does not distract from the main objective of the book. This book may work great for resistant learns are it tries to make learning the alphabet fun. instead of stringing along random words that start with a letter, the book tells a story, this may have engaged and create a bond with a resistant reader.

[Amelia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Asleep
Ball
Catch
Dog

So starts the adventures of a mouse, who wakes up from his nap when a dog’s ball bounces into its whole in the wall. The dog scrambles, the mouse skitters, and the chase is one through the house until the dog recovers his ball. Cleverly bookended with sleep (Asleep followed by “ZZZZZ”), the story is told primarily in pictures with one alphabetically appropriate word or phrase per page accompanying them. The accompanying background is minimal, with almost no color and the focus is squarely on the participants and the ball. A missed opportunity might have been using “victory” instead of “very cool,” but all of the words are ones children would use and hear in daily conversation.

[Julivete Skelton · Rating 3 out of 5]

I bought this book online not knowing that it would not have words. You can imagine that I was disappointed with this purchase but I would use this book in a classroom for very new readers. Through purchasing this book, I learned that there is always a purpose for every type of book and even though I don't really have a purpose for it in the current time as a college student studying to be a teacher, I may find myself in a kindergarten classroom one day and I can use it then. I also now know what “Alphabet caper” means. This book can also be used to engage English Language learning students. The book is full of verbs with a corresponding illustration so the students have a visual to connect the words to and they can act these verbs out to help them kinesthetically learn.

[Ryan Henry · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my first encounter with a book like this and it did not disappoint. The storyline is very cute and fun. I liked the fact that it was an ABC book that used full words. My favorite part of the book however is that both the words and the illustrations follow the same story but are still different. The illustrations not only make the story but add so much more to it. I thought this book was adorable and cannot wait to use it in my classroom someday. I think students will enjoy this just as much as I did, if not more. I think it also really appeals to their sense of humor at this age. Not only does this teach and say the alphabet but it has the story of the dog, and both are cute alone, but are so much more together. Overall, I really enjoyed it.