Mouse Paint [Board book]

Ellen Stoll Walsh (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 31, 1995 | Age Range: 1 - 3 years

One day three white mice discover three jars of paint--red, blue, and yellow. Both parents and children alike will appreciate this lighthearted presentation of a lesson in color. “Walsh’s cut-paper collage illustrations have bold colors and just the right simplicity for the storyline. A real charmer that’s great fun as well as informative.”--School Library Journal

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Mice, a rottweiler, an arachnid and a few other assorted critters make sturdy reappearances in five board book versions of picture books. In Ellen Stoll Walsh's Mouse Paint, "three white mice on a white piece of paper" enjoy a colorful romp, while in Walsh's Mouse Count a similar gaggle narrowly escapes being served for dinner (Harcourt/Red Wagon, $6 each, 28p, ages 1-3 ISBN 0-15-200265-0; -200266-9 Sept.). Yet another mouse searches the animal kingdom for companionship?and finds an unexpected respondent?in Eric Carle's Do You Want to Be My Friend? (HarperFestival, $6.95, 32p, ages 2-6, ISBN 0-694-00709-9 Sept.). The rewards of industriousness are celebrated in a second Carle title, The Very Busy Spider; its embossed web brings a tactile dimension to his familiar collage artwork (Philomel, $9.95, 26p, ages 2-up ISBN 0-399-22919-1 Aug.). Finally, the canine in question is Alexandra Day's beloved Carl, who takes charge of a crew of toddlers in Carl Goes to Day Care (Farrar, Straus & Giroux, $5.95, ages 1-3 ISBN 0-374-31145-5 Sept.).
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

One day three white mice discover three jars of paint--red, blue, and yellow. Both parents and children alike will appreciate this lighthearted presentation of a lesson in color. Walshs cut-paper collage illustrations have bold colors and just the right simplicity for the storyline. A real charmer thats great fun as well as informative. (School Library Journal )

Three white mice get into some primary hued paint pots, and emerge as artful members of a lesson on color and camouflage. When they are white mice, on white paper, the cat can't see them. Then they spy three jars of paint, one red, one yellow and one blue. "They thought it was Mouse Paint. They climbed right in." Thus begins a flirtation with paints (mixing colors, making new shades, dancing in swirled puddles) that provides them with nearly all the colors in the spectrum, and when the paint dries, they bathe in the cat's water bowl until they are white again. Simplicity reigns in Walsh's brief tale, and a feeling of joyful discovery pervades her broad lines and expressive figures. Her message is clear, one which readers will respond to: paints have many purposes, at least one of which is fun. Ages 2-6. (Publishers Weekly ) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Age Range: 1 - 3 years
  
• Board book: 16 pages
• Publisher: Harcourt, Inc.; Red Wagon Books edition (October 31, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0152002650
• ISBN-13: 978-0152002657
• Product Dimensions: 5.3 x 4.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (57 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #225,988 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

ELLEN STOLL WALSH is the author and illustrator of many award-winning early concept books for young children, including Mouse Paint, Mouse Count, and the Dot and Jabber trilogy. She lives near Rochester, New York.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

39 of 39 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Love to paint them mousies, mousies what I love to paint April 9, 2004

By E. R. Bird HALL OF FAMETOP 500 REVIEWER

Format:Board book

I'm curious. Why do the best picture books explaining color involve solely, and with few exceptions, mice? I mean, just consider Denise Fleming's fantastic "Lunch" or Ed Young's stunning, "Seven Blind Mice". For some reason, mice are just prone to well written color-infused storylines. "Mouse Paint" is no different.

Three adorable albino mice (able to hide from clever cats by standing on white pieces of paper) come across three jars of pain. On is red, one is yellow, and one is blue. Thinking, in a typical mousy fashion, that the jars of paint are Mouse Paint, the three climb in. Next, they set about dipping their toes in other colors, creating whole new combinations. Thus, kids learn that when a red mouse does a jig in a puddle of yellow paint, his feet will eventually turn a bright cheery orange. By the end of the tale, the mice are painting all sorts of colors hither and yon, mixing and matching shades in all sorts of new and exciting ways.

The book is made from a series of cut-paper collages. You wouldn't necessarily know this when looking at it, however. These mice have verve and pep. Their puddle dances are lively and entertaining. There are subtle in-jokes, such as the mice washing themselves clean in a large bowl that reads, "CAT". And to top it all off, they're pretty darn cute to boot. Though I've seen good books explaining colors to kids, this is the best I've seen that explains how to create a new color out of the combination of two others. All in all, it's a good read and an entertaining one as well.

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars My favorite little art helpers. June 20, 2005

By A. Purviance

Format:Paperback

As an elementary art teacher I have seen many many color themed books. This is the one I use every year in grades K-3, they never get tired of it, it's a wonderful refresher for them. It's endearing and educational at the same time. You just can't go wrong with "Mouse Paint".

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Many facets of value October 2, 2002

By abookbug

Format:Board book

This book is a must have for anyone associated with a preschool child! By means of a clever tale - charming on its own - this book explores primary colors, color mixtures, and contrast. It became one of my child's favorites as a toddler and remains a favorite at age four. Longevity isn't the only milage we've gotten out of this book, either. It has also spawned many spontaineous, artistic experiments with color (mixing paint or playdough, etc.). For broad, lasting appeal and educational merit, this book is a great (bargain!) investment.