What do you think?
Rate this book
Mouse, Look Out!
Young children can join in a thrilling game of chase as a little mouse forages for food and a warm place to sleep while a wily black cat quietly stalks the mouse and a mysterious beast waits in the shadows.
32 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1998
1 person is currently reading
27 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
May 15, 2022
I want to read this out loud to some cute kids! I can just see them getting excited on each page. Fun ending and my 6th -grader noticed the glowing eyes in each page. Are they the dog's or are they another animal's?
June 1, 2022
The 4s and 5s enjoyed the suspense. They were really good at spying the eyes and shadows in this mysterious book!
September 6, 2020
Gorgeous illustrations and a very fun story! Great for babies and kids of any age.
July 21, 2017
"Mouse, Look Out!" is a children's picture book that is intended for ages 5-7. It is a simple story about animals chasing one another in an abandoned house, with a fun and surprising twist on the final page.
The storyline is straightforward, as everyone knows that cats chase mice, dogs chase cats, and owls lurk in dark corners. But what makes this a fascinating take on that old tale, is the beautifully illustrated setting. The deserted house, overgrown with weeds and vine, has retained ragged evidence of a life once lived there by people.
Parents reading this book to their child may find themselves spending much more time examining the intricate details of the illustrated pages, than reading the short and somewhat technical verses, that don't always rhyme, and take some thinking to comprehend. However, the phrase at the end of each page, "Mouse, Lookout!”, serves as a reminder of the book's simple theme, and a fun expression for little readers to yell out loud.
I withheld the final star in my review, because the rather heady text occasionally pulled me out of the wondrous world that the illustrator had created. At times I felt that it didn't support, or match, the extraordinary way, for example, in which the artist captured wind blowing through the curtains, or the paper peeling off the walls. She captured the animals’ expressions accurately as well. Children will love to recognize their own pets in these pages.
The storyline is straightforward, as everyone knows that cats chase mice, dogs chase cats, and owls lurk in dark corners. But what makes this a fascinating take on that old tale, is the beautifully illustrated setting. The deserted house, overgrown with weeds and vine, has retained ragged evidence of a life once lived there by people.
Parents reading this book to their child may find themselves spending much more time examining the intricate details of the illustrated pages, than reading the short and somewhat technical verses, that don't always rhyme, and take some thinking to comprehend. However, the phrase at the end of each page, "Mouse, Lookout!”, serves as a reminder of the book's simple theme, and a fun expression for little readers to yell out loud.
I withheld the final star in my review, because the rather heady text occasionally pulled me out of the wondrous world that the illustrator had created. At times I felt that it didn't support, or match, the extraordinary way, for example, in which the artist captured wind blowing through the curtains, or the paper peeling off the walls. She captured the animals’ expressions accurately as well. Children will love to recognize their own pets in these pages.
August 12, 2022
LOVED this one with the illustrations, rhyming verses and secrets. It's not a Halloween book but is suspenseful and would be good to read at Halloween. The setting is an old forgotten house and starts with the mouse at the wall and the rusted gate. The mouse goes about and then is warned about the cat. One page of verse goes: "The door no one knocked on/ was battered and scratched./ When the wind came calling,/ it pounded, banged, and bashed./ And through the broken wood,/ so raggedy and jagged,/ a little mouse was crawling./ Then down the tangled path,/ a shadow came prowling./ MOUSE, LOOK OUT!/ THERE'S A CAT ABOUT." When it gets to the two lines before "MOUSE, LOOK OUT!" the picture associated with it shows the cat, or its shadow. In every full picture though, there are also a set of eyes that can be spotted. SPOILER::::::: at the end the mouse is sleeping and the cat is right there and a dog comes in and chases the cat out. You also see the owner of the eyes in each picture. So the mouse is saved from the cat.... but is he saved from the owner of the pair of eyes? The book doesn't say- that's up to you to decide.
November 27, 2019
Beautiful art: a detailed, decaying home, melancholy and cozy. The "haunting" in this haunted house comes largely from external factors, which is an interesting take on the trope. But while the atmosphere is good, the writing is bad. It's written in rhyme with an unbalanced rhythm, repeated phrases, rhyming gerunds--bad poetry and too childish even for a picture book. The twist ending intentionally defies hidden details in the art, effectively twisting the predicted twist, but it rebuffs reader engagement and feels unsatisfying.
April 14, 2023
When choosing books at the library I was attracted by the beautiful illustrations in this book. The story line is easy with the cat on the lookout for the mouse as it rambled through an abandoned house. The ending is great. I just found the actual story line disappointing.
October 16, 2018
A fun story with beautiful illustrations. The repetition encourages participation and therefore is ideal for a class read.
Read
October 3, 2019At the top of my favorite picture book list. specially good or fall and or Halloween. Who's eyes are throughout the book?
October 30, 2020
Surprisingly entertaining and quite suspenseful.
December 7, 2020
The illustration is amazing. Love it
January 28, 2021
This book was adorable! I loved it!
February 2, 2024
Cute and fun book. But the suspension thing is just not for my baby.😂
November 18, 2008
A good choice for storytimes for older preschoolers. "Gently suspenseful" is a very apt description, as readers cheer on a little mouse trying to evade a cat. There are many wonderful vocabulary words here; 'creaked and moaned'; 'peeping';'raggedy'; 'tangled';'tattered'; and 'frayed' just to name a few. So, this is an especially great pick for vocabulary focused early literacy storytimes.
September 30, 2014
A fun, suspenseful read that kept myself and my five-year-old daughter gasping until the last page.
Illustrations are particularly wonderful. I liked the setting of an old rundown abandoned house. It gave a different point of view a different location to introduce to my daughter.it really is a very clever story.
My girls completely have fun every time you read this book
Illustrations are particularly wonderful. I liked the setting of an old rundown abandoned house. It gave a different point of view a different location to introduce to my daughter.it really is a very clever story.
My girls completely have fun every time you read this book
November 29, 2008
I loved the cute illustrations!! The story wasn't much, though alert children should spot the extra critter hiding in most of the pictures. Too bad it's out of print-- I'd like a copy for the illustrations.
June 19, 2014
Beautiful artwork! This is comparable to Jan Brett! The mouse and cat were so realistic. The only thing I found odd was that was cat looks like a kitten at the beginning of the book and then an adult cat. Also the ending was really random!
September 7, 2015
Can we commend the illustrator? It was beautiful. Just beautiful. The story was fun and even a little suspenseful, even for me. It even rhymed, which is always fun to read. The ending was the perfect plot twist. Loved this book!
February 12, 2016
A well-written story that uses a lot of vocabulary enhancing words (for a little one) without being to onerous. Asher especially liked being able to shout, "Mouse look out! There's a cat about!" every time it came up in the story.
Beautiful illustrations. Look for eyes everywhere!
Beautiful illustrations. Look for eyes everywhere!
February 14, 2008
An older picture book, but would work well in storytime. Has a repeating phrase, kind of reminds me of Inside Mouse, Outside Mouse, painted illustrations which are lovely.
January 5, 2009
Our book is not a Slide and Peek, it's just the story. Beautiful illustrations.
October 15, 2010
Illustration is amazing! Cute quirkey little book about a cat and mouse race
Read
May 30, 2011Quite lovely pictures, for a suspenseful tale of a mouse and a cat in an abandoned house. I like it myself, can't say how a small child would react.
July 2, 2011
A must-read for fall time!
August 8, 2012
I loved this book as a kid, the pictures are amazing! To be honest I loved the illustrations more than the story ;)
October 26, 2012
Great illustrations!!
January 30, 2013
A great book for imagery. Very descriptive and engaging enough to keep a toddler interested.
March 4, 2013
The illustrations are stunning! There is not as much interaction between the mouse and the cat as I would have liked. There is a surprise at the end!
Read
May 20, 2009JEAR2-Wai
October 10, 2012
Beautiful illustrations for this slightly spooky story. Perfect for preschoolers!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews