Pros: Easy sentences for beginning readers, nice story, teaches family values and sharing, adorable animals
Cons: There are better books out there, but I still recommend it. Excellent for beginning readers.
The Bottom Line: Valentine Mice is great for new readers. It is cute and simple. Easy sentences. Very straight and to the point. Valentine Mice! teaches sharing, giving, and family values.
Peachy3's Full Review: Bethany Roberts - Valentine Mice
Valentine Mice!
I bought this book through a Scholastic book "catalog" my son brought home from school. At the time, he was in first grade and he had to read 20 minutes each night. So, I thought I had better stock up on some more books.
Description
Valentine Mice! is a story about 4 little mice who are on a mission delivering valentines. The mice appear to me as a Mama and a Papa with two sons...one son being younger, about 5 years old, while the other son appears to be a teenager. The book makes no reference as to their names or how they are related. The mice are rather cute in appearance. They all all brown in color, and have colorful winter clothing on. The valentines are carried by baskets and by sleds.
The Opening
Valentine Mice! is written by Bethany Roberts and illustrated by Doug Cushman. It is published by Scholastic Inc. and arranged by Houghton Mifflin Company. The book is 32 pages long and the illustrations are water color. The copyright of Valentine Mice! is 1997 and it is printed in the USA. Paperback.
The opening two pages, which include the title, show the 4 sweet little mice cutting out paper hearts and making valentines. The mice have construction paper, envelopes, tape, scissors, lace, pencils, tape, crayons...the whole works!
Dedication
I particularly love this part of books. The dedication page is very exceptional and important. (I would love for someone to dedicate a book to me!) Author Bethany Roberts dedicates the book to her valentines "Bob, Krista, and Melissa", while Doug Cushman dedicates it to "my Juney Irene Cushman, my first valentine." To me, this makes the book all the more special! I like the thought that the book is written with somebody's children in mind, or maybe a first love, or a true love, in mind..
The Story
The actual story itself begins on page 6.
Valentine mice deliver valentines--red, pink. Skip! Hop!
The four little mice, in their winter attire, leave their home, which is a little hole in a tree. One mouse,w ho I call Papa Mouse, pulls a sled loaded with valentines and he carries a basket. Mama Mouse and Big Brother carry valentine filled baskets. The littlest mouse carries a single valentine in his hand and excitedly leads the pack.
Up this hill, then s-l-i-d-e down. One little mouse goes swoosh! Plop!
All the mice go sliding down the snow covered ground. The littlest mouse sits on the sled while Papa Mouse slides it down the hill. They stop with a thump and then the littlest mouse "plops" off. He looks dizzy but not hurt. The valentines are scattered about.
One to the rabbit, two for the squirrels, three for the chipmunks. Zip! Nip!
The mice are on their merry way again. Each animal in the forest has an individual mailbox. This is cute. The mice deliver the valentines to the rabbit, two squirrels, and three chipmunks. The animals accept their valentines with a smile and look them over.
More to deliver. Cross the pond.
The mice have delivered valentines to the moose, fox, and two skunks. Now, it is time to cross the ice covered pond. So all the mice go sliding across the ice. The littlest mouse looks like he's sliding a little too fast.
S-l-i-d-e! G-l-i-d-e! Slip! Flip!
Well, the littlest mouse is slip sliding have fun. When all of a sudden, he runs into the edge of the pond! He slips and flips and ends up in a snow bank!
Valentines here! Valentines there!
We see now the three mice continuing to deliver valentines to two bears and two badgers. But wait a minute! There are supposed to be 4 mice!
Shower valentines! THROW! THROW! THROW!
The "three" mice are showering all the animals with their homemade valentines. Valentines are in the air. Everyone is happy! Although, Mama Mouse looks puzzled.
Valentine mice--one, two, three...
One is missing! Where can he be? The mice stop and realize one of them is missing! They begin searching for the littlest mouse
Valentine mice look high and low. Hurry! Hurry! Call! Shout!
The three mice are looking all over for the lost little mouse. They are scurrying about and look worried.
Follow these footprints. Quick! Quick!
There's a mitten! Finally a clue! Mama Mouse finds footprints in the snow, and Papa Mouse finds a red mitten.
Pull him out! All together now...
Lo and behold, in the snow bank next to the mitten, the little mouse is found! He is covered with snow. His little nose and one hand is poking out. The mice zoom over to the snow bank and begin digging the pile of snow off the little mouse.
Dig! Tug! Push! P-u-l-l!
It takes all three mice to yank the little mouse to safety. Tug! Tug!
YAY! One little mouse gets a
Finally, the mouse pops out of the snow bank and all the mice go "flying" into the air and into the snow. They are not hurt.
valentine hug!
Mama Mouse, Papa Mouse, and big brother rush over to the littlest mouse! Mama Mouse gives him a great BIG HUG! Incidentally, there is a basket of valentines spilled on the ground next to them. The valentine on the ground says "I love you". THE END
Summary
Valentine Mice! is a cute, simple story. Easy sentences. Good beginner reading book. Sweet story. Nice length and water colored pictures. Teaches family value, the goodness of sharing and giving, shows creativity, and is an excellent starter book for reading. I recommend it.
Four precocious mice share an adventure filled with thrills and laughter as they bring cheer to the animals on Valentines Day. Fun-to-read aloud, with...More at Christianbook.com
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