PreSchool-Grade 1-Old-fashioned, crosshatch illustrations complement this bilingual nursery rhyme from the Hispanic tradition. The short rhyme tells the story of a little mouse that gets lured out of its hole by an offering of candy from a two-timing cat. The ending is not unlike traditional cautionary tales in English (e.g., "Three Blind Mice"): the cat eats the mouse. However, the last illustration showing an angel mouse implies a happy ending of sorts. A word of caution, however: the illustration of the cat sitting at a table, holding a fork and a knife in each paw, could intimidate some children. This is a rhyme that children have recited frequently in some Latin American countries, and as such the book provides a valuable source of that oral tradition.Maria Mena, LeRoy Collins Leon Cty. P.L., Tallahassee, FL w
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From School Library Journal
PreS-K-In this illustrated version of a Hispanic nursery rhyme, a mouse is conned by a clever cat into exiting his hole for some candy and instantly becomes the feline's lunch. Best read aloud to enjoy the catchy rhythm of the Spanish version, this story does not read aloud quite as well in English, despite a concerted effort to maintain the rhyme and meter patterns as well as the sense of the story. The pictures, rendered in pen and ink and watercolor, have a dense, scratchboard look to them, and seem distinctly old-fashioned in their use of dark colors and elongated cartoon forms. The cat looks as much like a dog or a wolf as a cat, and the mouse, who is shown in shorts for the first part of the book, is inexplicably attired in a nightshirt and cap when he exits his hole to become lunch for the predator. The dining scene shows only the cat's back as he sits at the table, fork and a vicious-looking knife raised high. This is just the sort of thing that adults may object to, but children will take in stride. The text is surrounded by an elaborate border on a buff background patterned with sitting cats, creating an elegant foil for the sense of impending doom communicated in the facing illustrations. This is a slight but intriguing foray into a lesser-known nursery rhyme, and might be considered as a supplemental purchase.-Ann Welton, Terminal Park Elementary School, Auburn, WA
Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
