If You Give a Mouse a Cookie [Paperback]

Laura Joffe Numeroff (Author), Felicia Bond (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: 1985

Laura Numeroff's tales of warped logic are sure-fire winners in the giggle-generator category. But concerned parents can rest assured, there's even a little education thrown in for good measure: underneath the folly rest valuable lessons about cause and effect. Felicia Bond's hilarious pictures are full of subtle, fun details. Who would ever suspect that a tiny little mouse could wear out an energetic young boy? Well, if you're going to go around giving an exuberantly bossy rodent a cookie, you'd best be prepared to do one or two more favors for it before your day is through. For example, he'll certainly need a glass of milk to wash down that cookie, won't he? And you can't expect him to drink the milk without a straw, can you? By the time our hero is finished granting all the mouse's very urgent requests--and cleaning up after him--it's no wonder his head is becoming a bit heavy. In this amusing romp, young readers will learn what happens when you give someone an inch and they take a mile.

Product Details

• Paperback: 32 pages
• Publisher: Scholastic (1985)
• Language: English
• ASIN: B00159UUZA
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 7.7 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (183 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #70,156 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Laura Numeroff grew up in Brooklyn, with her mother, father and two older sisters. Her house was filled with books, art, music and folk dancing.

She attended Pratt Institute and graduated with a degree in communications and a contract for her first children's book, AMY FOR SHORT, published in 1975 by Macmillan.

A New York Times best-selling children's book author, Laura is best known for the series based on her book IF YOU GIVE A MOUSE A COOKIE. First printed in 1985, "Mouse" is in its 40th printing. The fourth book in the series, IF YOU TAKE A MOUSE TO THE MOVIES was on the New York Times Children's Best Seller list for five months- nine weeks at number one.

Publisher's Weekly listed IF YOU TAKE A MOUSE TO THE MOVIES as the number two book for children in 2000 (Harry Potter was number one) and at one point, Laura had three books on the New York Times Bestseller List in the same week.

In 2000, IF YOU GIVE A PIG A PANCAKE was featured on the Oprah show three times, and was recommended by Oprah's first kids' book club, as well as being noted as Oprah's favorite children's book of the year on her Christmas show. "PIG" was also on Publisher's Weekly Bestseller List for over a year. In addition, the series has sold over 4.5 million copies, been printed in fourteen languages, and won the prestigious Quill Award in the picture book category.

Some of Laura's other books currently in print are: WHAT MOMMIES DO BEST/WHAT DADDIES DO BEST, DOGS DON'T WEAR GLASSES, THE CHICKEN SISTERS, WHY A DISGUISE? The first two books in Laura's JELLYBEANS book series made the New York Times Best Seller List.

Hillary Clinton, President Bush and former First Lady Laura Bush have all read Laura's books to kids. First Lady Michelle Obama, her mother, her daughters, Malia and Sasha read Laura's book at the 2010 Easter Egg Roll on the White House Lawn. Laura was one of ten children's authors invited to a literacy day in Washington during the Bush administration in 2001. She has also visited over 100 elementary schools and has been a speaker at teacher conferences around the country.

Laura donates book sales to FIRST BOOK, a non-profit organization that provides brand new books to children who otherwise would not have access to them. She has also donated all royalties from THE HOPE TREE- KIDS TALK OUT ABOUT BREAST CANCER, to the Susan B. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. Laura has appeared on The Today show twice as well as Good Morning America. On her December 13th, 2000 appearance on The Today Show, Laura donated 500 Mouse mini-books with doll ornaments to the show's toy drive.

When not writing, Laura takes tennis lessons (she says she's not very good but loves it anyway), reads to children in hospitals and foster homes and calls herself a book and movie fanatic.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

56 of 59 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Just add a few cookies, and you've got the perfect gift!, August 1, 2000

By 

Quaker Annie "reader" - See all my reviews

This review is from: If You Give a Mouse a Cookie Mini Book & Doll (Hardcover)

We've finally grown out of this book at our house - but it took a long time. My soon-to-be 9 year old will occasionally (in secret)read this book now, but from age 3 to 6, it was a bed time favorite!

The story is funny, as are the illustrations of the little mouse, making a mess and asking for more things - and it all started by just giving the little fellow a cookie.

The hardcover book alone is a great gift item, but it's better yet as a mini book with the cute little stuffed mouse. If you add a small package of chocolate chip cookies, this would make an exceptional gift. Or, if not cookies, a crayon set with some paper is ideal (you have to read the story to understand why!)

For kids who want to read and listen, the audio tape will be listened to again and again. This is also one of those books that adults enjoy reading to their children!

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If you share a book with your child........, September 13, 2001

By 

Britt Arnhild Lindland (Norway) - See all my reviews

This review is from: If You Give a Mouse a Cookie (If You Give...) (Hardcover)

.....you will have hours of fun ahead of you.
My favorite time of the day is when I take my kids to bed and read for them. We read different kinds of books, but each child always gets some special favorites. If you give a Mouse a Cookie is among 5 year old Marta's all time favorites. We can read the book over and over again, and the story is just as cute as when we first discovered it.
The story starts with a little boy eating cookies outside his house, he sees a mouse and wants to share his cookies with it. The mouse eats the cookie, then asks for a glass of milk, of course the boy gives him some milk, and the story goes on and on. The little mouse asking for more and more, the boy having a wonderful time following his new companion. From a napkin, to scissors to trim his hair, a broom to sweep up, and so on. And the wonderful, funny last page when the mouse asks for a glass of milk, but of course, if you give him a glass of milk the chances are that he will want a cookie to go with it, and we are right back to the start of the book. The most perfect story for a child who always wants repetitions, over and over again.
The book is beautifully written by Laure Joffe Numeroff, and the cute drawings to illustrate the story are made by Felicia Bond.
Lucky parents and children with books like this to share.

Britt Arnhild Lindland

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My child's favorite book!, February 19, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: If You Give a Mouse a Cookie Book and Tape (Audio Cassette)

Laura Joffe Numeroff is an excellent children's author! My daughter and I have read this book so many times, she can recite word for word throughout the story. The cassette tape that comes along with the story book is excellent, because after the story is read, there is a fill-in-the-blanks game. Your child fills in the blank. (example - "If you give a mouse a cookie, he's going to ask for a glass of _____.) The answer is milk. And this continues throughout the story. I highly recommend this book. No child's library should be without it!