#20- Scaredy Mouse

#20-Scaredy Mouse

Scaredy Mouse

Written by: Alan MacDonald

Illustrated by: Tim Warnes

Scholastic Inc., 2002

25 pages


Fantasy

“In a small hole behind a closet under the stairs there lived a large family of mice. The youngest was called Squeak. Squeak was a small mouse, a scared mouse, a stay-at-home mouse.”

            This book is about a young mouse named Squeak. Squeak was always nervous and scared. He liked to stay at home. One day his sister asked him to go to the kitchen with her because she found a chocolate cake. Squeak is afraid of the cat and getting lost. Because Squeak is afraid of getting lost, his sister ties a string around his waist so he can find his way home. The whole way to the kitchen, Squeak thinks he sees the cat. Every time he finds out that he is just imagining it. Both the mice find the cake and start to take it home with them. The cat finally sneaks up on them. They run away and the cat starts to chase them, but he gets tangled up in the string that was tied around Squeak. Squeak eventually finds his courage and overcomes his fear of the cat.

            Warnes’ pictures are very colorful and cartoon-like. The medium is not listed, but I believe he may have used oil pastels and pencil to create the drawings. Proportion is used in these pictures to show how small the mice are compared to everything they face. When Squeak finally overcomes his fear, he is the only character on the page, and he is drawn to be gigantic.

            This book is appropriate for younger elementary level students. You could use this for a lesson on how to fill out a sequence chart. You could demonstrate a sequence chart in front of the class and have them help you fill it out using this book. Then the students could partner up and chose a book to read. They would then have to fill out their own sequence chart based on the book they read.