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Mouse Around
Drops of water fall from the pipe over the mouse nest. A small mouse nestled inside tries to catch a drop, but as he reaches out for it--just a little farther--he tumbles from the nest into the back pocket of the plumber who is fixing the leak. The mouse is off on a wonderful chance journey which takes him all around town.
In this wordless picture book, children will delight in following the mouse from hiding place to hiding place, guessing where he'll turn up next, as he piggybacks his way from bakery box to garbage can, moving sneakily from street to store to shopping bag.
With rich watercolors, Pat Schories captures the bustling life of the town and its people--all of whom are oblivious to the mouse and his big adventure as he makes his way home.
In this wordless picture book, children will delight in following the mouse from hiding place to hiding place, guessing where he'll turn up next, as he piggybacks his way from bakery box to garbage can, moving sneakily from street to store to shopping bag.
With rich watercolors, Pat Schories captures the bustling life of the town and its people--all of whom are oblivious to the mouse and his big adventure as he makes his way home.
- GenresPicture BooksAdventure
40 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 1991
1 person is currently reading
27 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
August 28, 2013
A wonderful and engaging story that is all pictures but very detailed. There were so many pictures and so much going on, we had to split it up into two readings. But both my 5 yr old and twin 3 yr olds loved it, the 5 yr old a little more. No words, so no reading, but still a wonderful story you can share with your family. We really enjoyed this one, and the pictures were beautiful!
May 23, 2018
This wordless picture book is delightful! A small mouse falls out of his nest into the plumber's pocket. He has adventures all around town before ending up back at home.
July 15, 2024
Wordless journey story. Interesting, detailed, and engaging.
March 22, 2015
Pat Schories's "Mouse Around" is a fun wordless picturebook about a baby mouse's sudden journey away from home. The mouse starts out in his nest on a perch in the basement, but (while investigating some dripping water) falls down into a man's pocket. He then makes his way to the kitchen and out the door, carried in the newspaper sack of a small boy. He then catches rides to places all over town, including to a bakery, a bus, a grocery store, and more. He has some close calls with cats and cars, but, eventually, makes his way home.
The entire experience is actually made more fun by the fact that there are no words in the entire book. Readers have to pay close attention to the illustrations in order to get the entire story, and if one is reading with a child, one instinctively voices narration. Conversation and interaction ensues. Wordless picturebooks are great ways to have people (children especially) pay closer attention to what they read and watch. While reading, one often finds oneself glancing back and forth between panels in order to find where the mouse is and what it is doing. It makes for a rather interactive and entertaining reading experience.
The layout of the book contributes greatly to this effect. Pat Schories decided to use a gutter-and-panel layout, with each panel overlapping the next. This layout helps the reader follow the story (the overlapping is particularly helpful when one must read from the bottom of the page to the top), and allows Schories to tell a dual story. The panels generally alternate in size, from being small to being large and vice-versa, with the larger panels telling the general story of what happens in the human world with the smaller panels showing things from the perspective of the mouse. This keeps the readers entertained as they try to locate the mouse in the larger panels from the hints given in the smaller ones. It also lets readers guess as to where the mouse will go next. The gutter-and-panel art style, combined with the shifting perspective, make for a fun, moving story that is a delight to read with children.
The entire experience is actually made more fun by the fact that there are no words in the entire book. Readers have to pay close attention to the illustrations in order to get the entire story, and if one is reading with a child, one instinctively voices narration. Conversation and interaction ensues. Wordless picturebooks are great ways to have people (children especially) pay closer attention to what they read and watch. While reading, one often finds oneself glancing back and forth between panels in order to find where the mouse is and what it is doing. It makes for a rather interactive and entertaining reading experience.
The layout of the book contributes greatly to this effect. Pat Schories decided to use a gutter-and-panel layout, with each panel overlapping the next. This layout helps the reader follow the story (the overlapping is particularly helpful when one must read from the bottom of the page to the top), and allows Schories to tell a dual story. The panels generally alternate in size, from being small to being large and vice-versa, with the larger panels telling the general story of what happens in the human world with the smaller panels showing things from the perspective of the mouse. This keeps the readers entertained as they try to locate the mouse in the larger panels from the hints given in the smaller ones. It also lets readers guess as to where the mouse will go next. The gutter-and-panel art style, combined with the shifting perspective, make for a fun, moving story that is a delight to read with children.
October 31, 2012
Pb 6: this book is so interesting because it doesn't have any words so as the children read it they can interpret it their own way. As I heard a child's interpretation I heard how different it was from what I would have said. I think since the book has such vivid pictures you can really make it your own.
December 31, 2015
I love the art in this book. The detail is wonderful.
Full review on my blog.
http://buildinglifelongreaders.blogsp...
Full review on my blog.
http://buildinglifelongreaders.blogsp...
August 3, 2016
Fun to follow the path of the little mouse.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews