Mouse

by Zebo Ludvicek

A hungry mouse discovers the alphabet, nibble by nibble, in this playful tale.

When the letter M comes upon a hungry little mouse with a delicious-looking cherry, he can't help but ask for a bite. The mouse reluctantly agrees, only for the M to devour the entire thing! In exchange, the M offers the mouse some of itself, but after a few bites the M has suddenly become an N. So begins the mouse's journey through the many letters of the alphabet thanks to some creative nibbling and imaginative illustrations from debut author/illustrator Zebo Ludvicek.

Genres: Picture Books, Friendship, Childrens, Animals, Storytime

32 pages, Hardcover

First published November 21, 2017

Reviews

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

When her delicious cherry is eaten by the letter M, Mouse is understandably upset. Unable to offer her anything else, M suggests she nibble on him, and he is subsequently transformed into an N - just in time for a nap! As M changes shape, from N to Z and then to L, so the story progresses, as mouse and letter becomes fast friends. After all, whatever shape he's in, Mouse would be nothing without an M...

A cute debut from author/illustrator Lebo Ludvicek, Mouse pairs an interesting, innovative story-line, one which plays around with letters and how they can change shape (and therefore meaning), with absolutely adorable artwork. Mouse herself is simply charming, with a sweet, expressive little face. M himself is fairly charming, for a letter! This one reminds me a bit of Peter Hermann's recent debut picture-book, If the S in Moose Comes Loose , except instead of playing around with words, changing their meaning by taking away or adding letters, Ludvicek is playing around with the letters themselves. Recommended to anyone looking for fun new (sort-of) alphabet books, and/or cute mouse stories.

[Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Mouse shares a bite of his cherry with M, the letter eats the whole thing! M offers Mouse a chance to nibble him and an intriguing transformation occurs.

Ludvicek remembers that sense of fascination children have with the shape of letters when they first begin to form letters. What IS the difference between and M and an N? What happens when the direction of L's bar is turned? Her crisp digital artwork bursts energetically from the white background and reminded me that learning about letters can still be child's play.

I really loved this unusual book! Mouse is a beguiling little character as are the letters who show children there is plenty of fun in an alphabet. Lots of great follow-up activities possible here too, like having children invent some letter transformations of their own.

[Cindy Mitchell *Kiss the Book* · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ludvicek, Zebo Mouse. PICTURE BOOK. Penguin Young Readers Group, 2017.

$16.99. Content: G.

Mouse has secured himself a beautiful red cherry. Letter M asks if Mouse would be willing to share a bite. “A bite? Absolutely not!” replied Mouse. After some coaxing, Mouse agrees to one bite. The letter M is so delighted at the taste of the cherry! He turns upside down to form the letter W and continues around until he is the letter M once again. Throughout this book, the letter M is transformed into many letters of the alphabet with the help of Mouse. Their relationship is also transformed into a great friendship. “I’ve never had any friend before,” whispered Mouse. “Cause there is no Mouse…without an M.”

This is one of my absolute favorite books! The creativity in the story line as well as the unique and beautiful illustrations makes this book a must have for every home and library. Sentiment, humor, and learning leap from each page. A must read for everyone!

Pre-K. EL (K-3). ESSENTIAL. Reviewer: SL.
http://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2018/...

[Shaye Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was one of my favorite children’s books from this week! Mouse meets the letter “M” as he shares his delicious red cherry. The letter “M” morphs through several letters of the alphabet as they experience snack time, nap time, thunderstorms, and more. They ultimately discover the importance of friendship after their experiences. It’s such a sweet children’s book and probably especially helpful for emergent readers. The adorable illustrations are rendered in digital mixed media.

[Jan · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fun and gorgeous book! Looking forward to future books by the amazingly talented Zebo Ludvicek.

[Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

At first this book reminded me of "The Little Mouse, the Red Ripe Strawberry, and the Big Hungry Bear" by Audrey Wood, but it soon diverged into a playful exercise in comparing letters of the alphabet.
Full color illustrations done in digital mixed media with predominance of black for the thick letters.

[Diane · Rating 3 out of 5]

M is hungry, and he finds Mouse with a cherry. When he asks for a bite, Mouse gives him the cherry, but M eats it all. The rest of the book looks at how Mouse and M develop a relationship with one another, when M offers Mouse a bite of himself. Children will be able to identify with how the letter changes throughout the book. An excellent read aloud.

[Hunter Wolfe · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is super cute and not only can teach students about letter shapes and sounds but how to be a friend as well. I think that the illustrations are engaging and the story line is cute because the letters get all turned upside down and the mouse has to try to flip them but in the process it forms new letters.

[Serenity · Rating 3 out of 5]

*I received a free review copy of this book from the publisher*

This is a cute book. Not quite an alphabet book, it is a whimsical look at how some letters are formed (and reformed).

I thought that it was a little creepy that the M let Mouse eat him. That's not how we usually make friends. But I think it's silly enough kids will kind of let it go.

[Bmack · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really great book for kids beginning to read. It is a story about a mouse and a letter "M". Throughout the book the letter changes to other letters which begin with words that tell the story. The illustrations are really creative! I really like this one!

[Makenzie Dougherty · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book does a great job of introducing letters and showing kids how they can change into different ones. It’s not like a traditional alphabet book, which is cool to see a different way of teaching little ones to learn their letters! I enjoyed reading this book!

[Brooke Call · Rating 5 out of 5]

I chose this book because it is a unique alphabet book. I loved how it shows students the way you can take one letter and change it into another one. It was very creative and engaging and I liked that.

[Martha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun and clever book. Zebo is a very talented artist. Great book for young children, but a quick enjoyable read for adults as well.

[Bailey Sulfridge · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun and clever book. Zebo is a very talented artist. Great book for young children, but a quick enjoyable read for adults as well.

[Seema Rao · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book plays with the idea of books, with the mouse eating the "type" and the "type" eating the mouse's food. The charm of the mouse outshines the gimmick of the story.

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

The artwork is simply gorgeous. My ABC-lovin' 3-year-old adores this book.

[Josie Stewart · Rating 5 out of 5]

So creative!

[L.A. James · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nice artwork, and a great spin on a couple of letters of the alphabet.

[Shelli · Rating 2 out of 5]

The "story-line" of this less than entertaining...alphabet book?? has fantastic illustrations of an adorable Mouse who needs to learn to avoid greedy letters.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun way to express some basic letter shapes with changes and also works with those letters initial sounds for words. Fun context to the letters and neat use of fonts.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a delightful book. The illustrations are absolutely beautiful and the story is so much fun. Very inventive way to look at the letters of the alphabet.

[Caleb Moes · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book in class. It was cute and joyful. I added it because it is a short easy read. It is cute and I think young girls would really enjoy reading it. Just look at the mouse on the cover!

[Dian Burns · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an adorable little picture book with really beautiful illustrations.

[Jayda Safford · Rating 4 out of 5]

the letter m ate the whole cherry

[Brigitte Brulz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully illustrated and cleverly written. I love how the M takes on different shapes throughout the book and creates new words. Very creative!

[Paul Graham Terpstra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice story about friendship.
Cool illustration style

[Liz Todd · Rating 4 out of 5]

Adorable.
Fun with letters.

[Meghan Hawk · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book about the mouse and it helps students with the alphebet. I love reading books that involve other subjects. I picked this book because it was a learning the alphebet book.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

we liked the ending

[Christine Turner]

Subject: Mice -- Juvenile fiction.
Friendship -- Juvenile fiction.
Alphabet.
Picture books.
Mice -- Fiction.
Friendship -- Fiction.

Note: Not a concept book