Mouse, the Cat, and Grandmother's Hat, The [Hardcover]

Nancy Willard (Author), Jenny Mattheson (Illustrator)

Book Description

Grade Level: P and up

his is Grandmother's hat. This is the mouse that hid under Grandmother's hat. This is the cat that waits to be fed . . . So begins a birthday party that is filled with surprises. Open this book-you're invited too!

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 1-This rhyming story enumerates a string of occurrences that befalls a family when a mouse lodges under the birthday hat that Grandmother is wearing. The cat spies its prey and pounces as the mouse dashes across the floor, causing the cake platter to totter. In a bizarre turn of events, the cake comes to life, sprouts arms, and runs off. The story ends with the possibility of additional disaster: the sound of a bee in Grandmother's purse. Not as imaginative as Willard's other work or as humorous as Laura Numeroff's If You Give a Mouse a Cookie (HarperCollins, 1985) or Audrey Wood's The Napping House (Harcourt, 1984), the book is redeemed by Mattheson's charming oil paintings. The large illustrations in soft pastel colors set against a bright yellow background make this title ideal for group sharing.
Laurie Edwards, West Shore School District, Camp Hill, PA
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

PreS-Gr. 1. Using the familiar format of "This is the house that Jack built," Willard works her particular wizardry, beginning with a mouse who manages to get under Grandmother's purple, rose-bedizened cha peau. This interests the cat to no end, but the children and other relatives are preparing to bring out the birthday cake for Grandmother. Then, "This is the mouse that tickled my shoe / as I carried the cake that jiggled and bounced / when the hungry cat gave a yowl and pounced." The cake takes itself right out the door, the mouse escapes, the cake is gone, and the distraught family says, "Things couldn't be worse!" Oh yes, they could, for "I hear a bee / in Grandmother's purse." Mattheson's oils start out in demure oval frames, then move to full pages and double-page spreads as the action heats up. The colors are rich and warm, suitable for the Victorian dress and decor; her figures are made of geometric shapes--circles, triangles, angles, points. A delicious read-aloud full of giggles. GraceAnne DeCandido
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Details

• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Little, Brown; 1 edition (April 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0316940062
• ISBN-13: 978-0316940061
• Product Dimensions: 11.2 x 8.8 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,620,860 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars A Runaway Cake Makes for Giggles, July 19, 2005

By 

Deborah Courson "Bugaboo's Mom" (Boise, ID USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mouse, the Cat, and Grandmother's Hat, The (Hardcover)

We purchased this book after several library renewals. Our daughter loved it age 2 1/2, and still loves it a year later. A cake running away tickles her funny bone - and she loves to follow the "bee" that shows up during the chaos to obviously bring more chaos, but that's up to the reader's imagination. She also loves the illustrations and the way the family put up all the "right" party decorations.