Such a Little Mouse by Alice Schertle

Such a Little Mouse Reviews

• 
  Emma

  My five and almost three year old love this book. It is a sweet story about a cute little mouse preparing for the winter throughout all the seasons. It has really captured their imaginations and extended into their creative play, which definitely makes it 5 stars worthy. They like pretending to be little mice burrowing under their blankets and making watercress soup. The charming illustrations of the mouse’s hole would have captured my little homemaker imagination as a kid, too. In fact I think it still does!
• 
  Sally

  I want to live this little mouse’s life.
• 
  Elizabeth

  This book teaches the values and lessons of each season as seen in the life of an imaginary mouse. All of the hard work and effort of spring, summer, and fall culminate with the simple pleasures of winter and being inside when it is unwelcome outdoors. I am so glad I sought this book out by the author of the LITTLE BLUE TRUCK books. I read it as an ebook and I must admit, it was lovely in that format (on an iPad).
• 
  Bev Walkling

  I read this book to my grandchildren and asked them to help me rate it. One of them is almost 6 and the other is almost 4. They both said this one was 5 stars. They really enjoyed the beautiful pictures in combination with the story of a little mouse in all seasons.
• 
  Heidi-Marie

  Adorable pictures. Cute story showing the seasons "in the background" as one wonders why the mouse is collecting what and when he does.
  
  10/12/16 Used in Seasons preschool theme. Very repetitive, but got the point across of the seasons passing and the mouse enjoying it while also working. Not the most amazing book ever to share, but the kids paid attention and that always is a plus.
• 
  Kathryn

  One can't help but love little mouse with ears pink as petals. The story takes you through the season which I loved but I found the ending abrupt. I wanted it repeat the spring page - "Every morning in spring."
• 
  Jason

  I really liked the illustrations, especially the way panels were overlaid over lovely landscape scenery. But I really wish she'd used a different repeating phrase than "way down deep in his hole." Even if that stuff goes over a kid's head, adults still have to read it out loud...
• 
  Janet

  I especially like the illustrations of this tiny mouse and his home. The mouse goes about gathering food items for the winter he knows that is ahead. During winter in his mouse house one of the activities he enjoys is of course reading. There is a soft sweet peaceful tone to this title.
• 
  The Styling Librarian

  Such a Little Mouse by Alice Schertle, illustrated by Stephanie Yue – The gorgeous peaceful words in this book pulled me through this read aloud. Loved how the story felt to read aloud. Felt like I was reading a classic.
• 
  Susan

  Blargh! It was so jarring that the little mouse was a he. For some reason, just looking at the cover (and the female author, and female illustrator) I expected a female protagonist - Oh, and then later (at the back of the book) saw that the story was written well into the 21st Century... Blargh!
  
  The story is cute. The illustrations are fabulous. The review of the seasons wonderful. The whimsical elements amusing but not too much to make it ridiculous. Normally, I would have given four or five stars. BUT the book was written by a woman well into the 21st Century and still it was a male protagonist. Really?!?! Because, really the world needs more books to fill in for the giant dearth of active, intelligent protagonists in children's storybooks (that last bit, of course, is sarcasm). Blargh!!
• 
  Jana

  This adorable picture book explores the seasons through the point of view of a little mouse who lives in a little hole in the middle of a meadow. In the spring and the summer, he's so happy to come outside and see the flowers and the animals. When autumn comes the leaves are falling and the other animals are getting ready for winter. And when winter comes, he's prepared to hunker down in his hole and sleep. The illustrations are very sweet and whimsical. I especially love the pictures of the little mouse's hole complete with a little kitchen, a little storage area, and a little bedroom. This would be a good book to use as a fun storytime book to talk about the seasons and how animals prepare for winter.
• 
  Olivia S

  This is a super cute book. The little mouse comes out of his hole, visits friends, and gathers food in each season, and then stays snug and warm inside during the winter. Adorable illustrations. Could be used for any season, especially winter. A bit text heavy for little ones, so probably 4+.
• 
  Jared White

  This book is so cute and I especially adore the pages where the mouse decides it is too cold to go out so they bake some bread, make some soup, and curl up with a good book. I put this on my "cozy books" shelf. :)
• 
  Mundie Moms & Mundie Kids

  Really cute story with equally cute illustrations about a mouse who's getting ready for hibernation.
• 
  Carol Jen

  Adorable illustrations, repetition would make it a nice storytime book with themes of seasons, weather, animals, hibernation.
• 
  Hannah

  Excellent book about seasons told as a story!
• 
  Cherlynn | cherreading

  As a rodent lover, I ADORE this book.
• 
  Joy Keil

  A fun read! Enjoyed by parents and kids!
• 
  Ruth

  The life of "such a little mouse" through the seasons. Repetition and great illustrations moves the story along and endears it in our hearts.
• 
  Tasha

  A little mouse lives in a hole in a meadow under a clump of dandelions. In the spring, he heads out of his home and explores the area around him. He sees a snail, a woodpecker and buzzing bees. He also sees himself reflected in a puddle. And each day he brings home a seed that he stores away in his storeroom. In the summer, the little mouse watches beavers building a dam in the pond, visits a toad, and sees a porcupine. He brings a sprig of watercress home each day and adds that to his storeroom. In autumn, the little mouse watches geese flying, ants marching, and brings home an acorn to his storeroom which is filling up. In winter snow falls and the little mouse can’t see the grass anymore. He heads right back into his hole and stays there, well fed and warm.
  
  This picture book explores seasons and the changes seasons bring in nature from a gentle and cheerful mouse perspective. It captures the natural rhythms by echoing them in the writing. Little mouse leaves his hole the same way no matter what the season, by counting to three and popping out. Then he explores, discovering three things in nature to pay attention to. Some small and some large. Schertle’s tone invites young readers to take a look at the nature outside their own holes and visit it each day to see the changing seasons.
  
  Yue’s illustrations also show nature as a place to safely visit and explore. The illustrations celebrate nature and its beauty and variety. They also pay homage to classic stories like Peter Rabbit while down in the mouse’s burrow with his homey furniture and then his baking and soup making in the winter months.
  
  A simple story, but one that has a wonderful rhythm and poetry to it that moves it to the top of the large pile of seasonal stories. Appropriate for ages 3-5.
  
• 
  Andréa

  I read this book to my 5-year-old neighbor, Everleigh. We had fun with some of the repetitive elements, like counting "one... two... three!" and then yelling "POP!" when the mouse pops out of his hole. Even Everleigh's 1-year-old brother started to sit still and pay attention each time we counted and then yelled "POP!" (which isn't actually written into the text). Everleigh particularly liked repeating the various noises: "rustle, rustle, rustle" and "Honk! Honk!" and "busy, busy, bizzzzz" (and her brother liked listening to them). But, when the story was over and I asked Everleigh for her review, she wrote, "It was too long." She admitted that she did like it for the most part, but it was just "too long." So this may not be the best choice for kids with short attention spans, but it's a lovely book, and most kids will probably enjoy the noises, repetition, and illustrations. (Everleigh's mom and I both really liked it.)
  
  Note: I received a hardcover copy of this book from the publisher through the Goodreads First Reads program.
• 
  Jenna

  I won this book in a First Reads Giveaway.
  
  First, this book is beautiful. The illustrations are bright, colorful, and inviting. There are panels and sequential images to show action along with big fill-the-page illustrations which convey the wide wide world in which the little mouse lives.
  
  The story follows an unnamed mouse as he experiences each season through the year, beginning with spring. We watch as he explores his changing surroundings, meets various other animals, and collects food for the coming winter. I was surprised at how much I genuinely loved this story. To see the change of seasons through the eyes of a mouse was a wonderful play on perspectives and gives the child a chance to understand how wild animals survive through the harsh changes in weather throughout the year.
  
  Basically, go check it out. It's a wonderful book.
• 
  Barbara

  Over four seasons, a mouse ventures from his hole in a meadow and enjoys the lovely day. But he is a hard-working mouse, and each day, he brings back something to eat to store for the winter. After all, there isn't much to eat when snow covers the ground. I really loved the last two pages of the book, which show the mouse enjoying the fruit of all his hard work as he settles back in comfort and warmth to enjoy a good meal and a good book. Readers will enjoy how hard he works, how much he relishes each season, and many will relate to the pleasures of curling up in a warm spot with a good read. The illustrations clearly pay tribute to the beauty of nature with those elements receiving most of the focus and the mouse being of smaller notice. This picture book is ideal for reading aloud.
• 
  Sara

  I won a copy of this book free as part of the First Reads program. I give it three and a half stars for the story and 4 for the illustrations. I LOVE Schertle's Little Blue Truck (one of my favorite books I have bought my daughter) but I only like Such a Little Mouse. It follows Little Mouse through all four seasons as he prepares for the long winter, experiencing the sights and sounds and other animals around him. The story is cute, but the illustrations really bring it to life. Yue makes excellent use of both positive and negative space, and I love how some of the pages are broken into storyboards - it creates the feeling of movement. A nice read for both parents and kids.
• 
  Kimberly

  I was so excited to find out I had won this book in a goodreads giveaway. My boys and I are big fans of the Little Blue Truck books and looked forward to reading about the adventures of the little mouse.
  
  This book follows the story of a mouse as he explores the world around him over the course of the four seasons. My boys (ages 6 and 4) were both fans of this story and especially enjoyed the parts where the mouse popped out of his hole and collected little bits in anticipation of the coming winter.
  
  The illustrations on each page are absolutely delightful. This book was a pleasure to read. My boys have already declared it to be one of their favorites!
• 
  Jeff Corrigan

  Such a Little Mouse will take your child on an adventure throughout the year as they experience all four seasons through the life and daily tasks of Little Mouse. The story is simple, but it will expose your child to the beautiful of nature, such as the meadow that Little Mouse lives in, and teach them that wide open spaces are home to many different creatures. The illustrations by Stephanie Yue are beautifully drawn and have that wonderful matte finish to them that doesn't scream in your child's face like so many bright and obnoxiously colored kids books can. This would be a great bedtime story too. Two thumbs up! ~The Librarian Uncle