Two Mice in Three Fables
Kindergarten-Grade 2?An interesting and clever blend of three simple fables. In the first one, an outdoor mouse finds his domestic friend's life expectedly tame, but when they go outside they have adventures at every turn, including a tangle with an owl, a raccoon, and a snake. The moral is "What thrills one tires another." In the second story, the owl and the raccoon spend a lot of energy competing for space and food (the two mice); here the moral is "Take turns or tempt trouble." Finally, the snake tries to catch the two mice without much luck, and the moral is "Today's trick is tomorrow's tangle." Each tale is told in simple sentences that are accesible to young readers. Reiser's cheerful watercolor-and-pen illustrations portray creatures with tons of personality: the delicate, white, pink-tailed indoor mouse; the determined owl; the persistent raccoon; and the slinky, silly snake. Each fable has its own title page with a small corner illustration; together these pictures tell a story of their own. There's plenty here for youngsters to discover with each new reading.?Jane Marino, Scarsdale Public Library, NYCopyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.