Busy, Busy Mouse [Hardcover]

Virginia L. Kroll (Author), Fumi Kosaka (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 3 and up

Have a bath, work out, take the car for a spin . . . the busy, lovable mouse in this picture book has one long "To Do" list! But he can't even get started until the family he shares his house with goes to sleep. So he spends the day resting in his mouse hole waiting patiently for the night to come. When it finally does, and the family is tucked in bed, this little mouse goes on one busy adventure!

A simple, rhyming text describes the family's busy day and peaceful night, while Fumi Kosaka's clever, playful illustrations let us know what the mouse is up to.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Bold, captivating illustrations and a brief text tell two stories simultaneously. While two active youngsters and their parents spend the day eating, playing, and having a good time, a little mouse has a snack, gets ready for bed, and goes to sleep. Just as the children are reading stories and easing into bedtime, the mouse is waking up and making preparations for a busy night. Kroll's staccato rhyming phrases keep the action moving along: "Baby crying./Eggs frying./Clay smashing./Blocks bashing." While the family's activities are depicted on full pages, the mouse scenes are cleverly shown as if viewed through a peephole in the wall. Kosaka's lively illustrations are the showpiece of this simple tale. Linnea Riley's Mouse Mess (Scholastic, 1997) has the same theme but more humor, and Denise Fleming's Lunch (Holt, 1995) is always a crowd pleaser. For the more sophisticated mouse lover, try the timeless allure of Eve Titus's Anatole.
Be Astengo, Alachua County Library, Gainesville, FL
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

This is Virginia Kroll's first book for Viking.

Fumi Kosaka is also the illustrator of Let's Count the Raindrops.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 3 and up
  
• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Viking Juvenile (May 26, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0670035270
• ISBN-13: 978-0670035274
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 9.4 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #150,076 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #90 in Books > Children's Books > Science, Nature & How It Works > Health > Personal Hygiene

More About the Author

Virginia Kroll is the author of over fifty books for children and winner of a 2004 Children's choice award. A former elementary school teacher, she lives in New York with her husband and has raised six children of her own.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Your children will love it!, March 30, 2004

By 

TOMMY C ELLIS "Prison Rev." (Federal Way, WA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Busy, Busy Mouse (Hardcover)

There are hundreds of children's books, but this one stands out as one of the best. My 21-month old can almost "read" this book, in that she has requested us to read it to her so many time, she has all but memorized the text. The clever idea of humans running about their lives busily by day, and mice doing so by night is fun for children imaginations.

Bottom-line: Busy Busy Mouse passes the kid test. We originally checked this out from the library, but ended up buying it, because our 21-month old and our 40-month old wanted us to read it over and over again.

4.0 out of 5 stars sweet busyness, March 15, 2011

By 

Eez rants and raves (Oregon) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Busy, Busy Mouse (Hardcover)

With simplistic wording and a minimal amount of lines per page, the writer and illustrator have neatly created a peacefully harmonious picture book that gently takes the reader through the stages of a day for a mouse and the people who share the same house. With lots of rounded edges and mellow coloring, this story is very short and sweet. I would recommend this for an evening storytime, one where you can slow the pace of reading the book and allow the children to enjoy the illustrations at a slower pace as well. A quick read but fun and one that many children will enjoy.
A little too short (with only four words per page)to make this a really solid storytelling book for my taste. Recommended for children ages 0-5.
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Recommended for children ages 0-5.

5.0 out of 5 stars seriously?, December 28, 2008

By 

S. Wilson - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Busy, Busy Mouse (Hardcover)

my son is 18 months old and absolutely LOVES this book. i am not exaggerating. he has me read it to him a dozen times a day sometimes. then he has his dad read it to him. on christmas he walked around with this book (hes had it for a while)and ignored all of his new toys. im not sure what it is about this thing. its a cute book. not many words so it holds his attention. its well made. has big colorful pages. we are on our second copy because he ripped the pages so much from turning and turning. thumbs up!