Mouse Vacation by Philip Roy; illustrated by Andrea Torrey Balsara
Series: Happy the pocket mouse, Book 4
Published by: Ronsdale Press, c2016 ISBN:9781553804796
Happy the pocket mouse has dreams of taking a holiday like his neighbour Mrs. Farrell. When he approaches his human friend John, about his ideas, John and Happy’s ensuing conversation will take the reader on a journey that covers many areas on the globe.
The soft watercolour closeup illustrations of Happy throughout this tale of the “Pocket Mouse“, expertly captures and mirrors expressions that young children often convey when having similar conversations with an adult. The lists that Happy and John compile reveal the difference each character has about taking a vacation. Happy’s trips are all to farway places, whereas John’s rational for his choices are made from a more humble origin.
Eventually, a compromise is reached by both, which has Happy and John taking a journey via an overnight bus trip to the seashore.
At 32 pages, the expressive illustrations highly compliment the text and allow the reader to become fully engaged with Happy and John’s tale.
Although the story is simple in the telling, I found that Happy’s big ideas of ‘taking a vacation’ is an original way of introducing world cultures, places and maps and engage young children!
A great curriculum connection for primary children!
Highly Recommended! FIVE STARS!
[Book supplied by Ronsdale Press in exchange for an honest review]
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