Pip & Squeak - Winter Picture Books

Pip & Squeak
Written and Illustrated by Ian Schoenherr
(Scholastic Inc., 2007)

What do mice love? Cheese.

Join Pip and Squeak, two adorable mice, as they race to make it to a birthday party for their friend, Gus. But guess who forgot the present of cheese? Pip! Now what to do?

Pip and Squeak find a solution and continue to the party. Read Pip & Squeak to find out if the make-do gift was successful. Readers will love the world as seen through the eyes of tiny mice.

KID KANDY:

Schoenherr does a fabulous job of illustrating this book from the viewpoint of the mice. What does it look like to be small in a big world? Hint: Most children are already aware of this, as their viewpoint of life is from a height of below our waist!

~ Hit the floor, everyone. Crawl around on hands and knees to see how things appear from down low. What can you reach? What do you see that you don't normally see? How hard is it to get around?

~ Go even lower. Wriggle worm style on the floor. Now what can you see? What can you reach (or not)?

~ Dig out a dollhouse and play with little people figures. Imagine you are as small as Pip and Squeak.


Angie Quantrell writes picture books, blogs, takes photos, and chases her naughty kitties off of the counters. Books come to life in her imagination and litter all spaces in her home. If it weren't for all of her books, Angie could live in a one room house.

Mouse Count

Mouse Count by Ellen Stoll Walsh (Scholastic Inc., 1991)

I was recently talked into repeatedly reading this book.

While attempting to sort through boxes of books, with the help of two preschool-aged grands, I found this favorite.

So I read it.

They were glued to the illustrations and story line. Both grands were rapt with attention. Upon completion of reading Mouse Count, I was given my favorite response to a great book.

"Read it again, Nana!"

So we did. Again. And again.

You can't beat a good book. You just have to enjoy it.

Try one of these activities to add additional enjoyment to reading Mouse Count:

1. Wash out that empty peanut butter plastic jar and lid. Collect 10 small mice, 1 plastic snake, and 1 big rock. TOY mice, I might add. Act out the story! Count forwards and backwards.
~ I just realized, after watching my kittens, that cat toy mice would be the perfect size for this activity.

2. Use neutral colors (tan, brown, black, gray) and let your child sponge paint large sheets of thick paper. Dry. Trace ovals on the back and help cut out mouse shapes. Chop paper scraps for tails and feet and glue them on. Use a permanent marker for eyes, mouth, and whiskers. Tape together painted paper scraps to make a snake.
~ Retell the story.
~ Add magnets to the back and tell the story on a magnetic surface. (SUPERVISE magnets. Choking hazard for younger children).

3. Have fun acting this out on a large scale. Use a huge box as the jar. Add a big stuffed snake. Draw whiskers and nose on your child's face with an eyeliner pencil. Tie a piece of rope to a belt loop on the back of her pants for a tail. Take turns being the mouse and the snake.

4. Mouse snack: Place half of a pear cut side down on a plate. Add raisin eyes, mouth, and ears to the small end. Cut a strip of cheese for a tail and place on the big end. Cut a snake from a piece of bread. Glue on raisin eyes with a dab of peanut butter. Eat the story!

5. Rubber stamp-a-holic? Get out a mouse, snake, jar, and rock stamp. Show your child how to stamp on paper. Let him recreate the story with stamps. Add markers or crayons and help color the picture.

6. Play dough and plastic play dough tools make Mouse Count play time fun. Show how to roll a ball with the dough. Shape into an oval. Roll tiny balls for eyes and a long rope for a tail. Use a plastic knife to add whiskers and mouth. Roll a larger rope for the snake. Add a plastic jar for the story retell.

Count, count, count all the ways you have fun!