Santa Mouse and the Ratdeer [Hardcover]

Thacher Hurd (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 3 and up

"On Blunder! On Basher! On Lousy and Loopy and Bugsy and Twizzlebum!"

It's a stormy night before Christmas at the Mouse North Pole, and Santa Mouse isn't having an easy time--his socks are missing, his boots won't fit right, and Santa hasn't had a chance to repair his sleigh. But worst of all, his ratdeer are in a grouchy mood.

When Santa's sleigh crashed into a snowbank in the middle o the woods--and his ratdeer march of--everyone seems about ready to give up.

Everyone, that is, except for a little mouse named Rosie, who, with a few cookies, hot chocolate, and a lot of Christmas cheer, gets Santa and his ratdeer back on course!

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-K?Santa Mouse and his ratdeer are having a rough night. Santa loses his map, the ratdeer are grumbling, and the sleigh hasn't been properly repaired. They crash into the woods, and things don't look good. Luckily, the rodent team finds its way to the home of a mouse family, where young Rosie greets them and feeds them warm cookies and hot cocoa (her parents are asleep). Santa Mouse joins them, and after warming up, is able to repair the vehicle and continue on. Like a gorgeously wrapped package that contains white socks, this disappoints. The snazzy red cover, gold-foil title, and Hurd's appealing and humorous illustrations far surpass the flat text. Although the story unites every child's desire to meet Santa with an interest in his logistical problems, it fails to create a compelling tale. When it comes to Santa-having-a-bad-night stories, Steven Kroll's Santa's Crash-Bang Christmas (Holiday, 1977) is still the best.?LF
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Santa Mouse is having a bad day. Too bad it's Christmas. His clothes are missing, the ratdeer are grumpy, and then the sleigh crashes in the North Woods. Happily, Rosie Mouse, who's been waiting for Santa anyway, is on the scene. Some hot chocolate, a toasty fire, and warm cookies make all the difference in Santa's day. Soon Santa is on his way, and Rosie has a miniature sleigh as a gift. The story is slight but funny, especially when the ratdeer are expressing their own frustrations in balloons ("Too many presents" and "Can I take off my antlers?"). Hurd's delightful cartoon-style pictures are executed with sureness and wit. Where the story seems thin, the illustrations make up for it with a robustness that should provoke giggles from individual lapsitters or groups. Ilene Cooper

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 3 and up
  
• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins; 1st edition (September 19, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060276940
• ISBN-13: 978-0060276942
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 8.4 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,488,426 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)