Synopsis
This warm and humorous picture book gently reminds us to give thanks for the little things.
Thanksgiving leftovers litter the table. Mouse peeps out of his hidey-hole and spots the perfect feast for one mouse—one green pea, one red cranberry, one scoop of mashed potatoes, and one portion of roasted turkey. But can Mouse get this mountainous meal back to his own small table?
"Plenty of action and humor as well as a thoroughly satisfying ending make this a wonderful holiday read-aloud." —School Library Journal
"A slapstick climax children will relish." —Kirkus Reviews
Children's Literature
After the Thanksgiving feast, when everyone—including the cat—is napping, the little mouse comes out of his home in the clock and discovers the leftovers are still on the table. He spies "a teensy-tiny, toothsome, green pea all by itself" and decides "one will be a feast for me." As with so many of us at Thanksgiving time, his eyes are bigger than his stomach. He takes a little of this and a little of that, declaring each time, "one is a feast for me," until he is balancing turkey, a piece of pie, gravy and mashed potatoes, a carrot stick stuck in an olive, and a cranberry on top of the pea. As he is ready to leave the table, who should appear but the cat? Balancing the food is no longer the little mouse's top priority. A chase ensues with the mouse scurrying for home as the cat is chased by a broom-wielding Mom. Excitement builds with the addition of each food item and then jumps to the next level with the appearance of the cat. The roundness of Ebbeler's illustrations, as well as their muted fall tones, gives them a warm and inviting look. When the chase scene begins, Cox broadens the vocabulary with interesting-sounding words, such as "catter-whumpus," that let the young listener know that chaos is being created here. Everyone will be cheering for the exuberant little mouse with the large glasses. Original and fun to read aloud, this is a marvelous blend of text and illustration—just what a good picture book should be. You will want to add this to your Thanksgiving book collection. Reviewer: Sharon Salluzzo