 | |
| Author | Bethany Roberts |
|---|---|
| Illustrator | Doug Cushman |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Series | Holiday Mice [1] [2] |
| Genre | Children's fiction |
| Published | October 21, 2002 [2] |
| Publisher | Clarion Books [2] |
| Pages | 32 [2] |
| ISBN | 0-618-31367-2 |
Birthday Mice! is a 2002 children's book written by Bethany Roberts and illustrated by Doug Cushman. Part of the informally marketed Holiday Mice series, [1] it received mixed reviews.
When their son turns two, the holiday-celebrating mouse family of four [3] holds a birthday for him in a forest clearing, set to a cowboy theme. [2] [4]
Reviews for Birthday Mice!, the fifth title with Roberts and Cushman's characters, [5] were mixed. Kirkus Reviews said, "Occasional rhymes and a musical cadence to the text—with its oompah repetition of words—make this a lively performance piece". [2] Conversely, Eileen Sheridan wrote in the School Library Journal : "This is a difficult book to read aloud; the rhyming text doesn't scan, and sometimes the rhymed word doesn't appear until pages later. [Although] Cushman's animals are personable, [the birthday boy's appearance across] four panels [in two instances] is bound to confuse preschoolers, who will see four separate mice.... Not a first purchase." [6] In separate reviews, The Horn Book criticized the "forced rhyming text" [5] and "uneven" rhymes [7] which the "festive watercolors" helped to compensate. [5] [7]
Doug Cushman is an artist who has worked as a cartoonist and a book illustrator. He is also the author of a series of children's books.
Once is a 2005 children's novel by Australian author Morris Gleitzman. It is about a Jewish boy named Felix who lived in Poland and is on a quest to find his book-keeper parents after he sees Nazis burning the books from a Catholic orphanage in which had stayed at for 3 years and 8 months. He finds a girl named Zelda, unconscious in a burning house with her dead parents; he takes her with him and protects her from confronting her parents' death by telling her stories. Although Once is a work of fiction, Gleitzman was inspired by the story of Janusz Korczak, the events of World War II, and Hitler's attempt to exterminate the Jewish population of Europe.
An Awfully Beastly Business is a series of fantasy books for children published between 2008 and 2011. Written collaboratively by David Sinden, Matthew Morgan, and Guy Macdonald and illustrated by Jonny Duddle, the series follows the adventures a werewolf named Ulf. He and many other endangered beasts live under the protection of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Beasts (RSPCB), a society founded by the late Professor Farraway. Ulf is an RSPCB apprentice who works with his companions the giant Orson, the fairy Tiana, and the veterinarian Dr. Fielding to prevent the antagonist poachers from capturing the beasts.
Yellow Star is a 2006 biographical children's novel by Jennifer Roy. Written in free verse, it depicts life through the eyes of a young Jewish girl whose family was forced into the Łódź Ghetto in 1939 during World War II. Roy tells the story of her aunt Syvia, who shared her childhood memories with Roy more than 50 years after the ghetto's liberation. Roy added fictionalized dialogue, but did not otherwise alter the story. The book covers Syvia's life as she grows from four and a half to ten years old in the ghetto. Syvia, her older sister Dora, and her younger cousin Isaac were three of only twelve children who survived. After the war, Syvia moved to the United States, married, and only much later told her story to Roy. Since its publication in 2006, the book has received multiple awards, starred reviews, and other accolades, and has been made into a likewise well-received audiobook.
Sticky Beak is a children's novel first published in 1993. Written by English-born Australian writer Morris Gleitzman, it is the sequel to Blabber Mouth. The novel is set in Australia and follows the misadventures of a mute Australian girl called Rowena Batts. Sticky Beak won the CROW award in 1994.
Punished by Rewards: The Trouble with Gold Stars, Incentive Plans, A's, Praise, and Other Bribes is a 1993 book by Alfie Kohn that argues against the use of rewards to incentivize behavior.
The Magic Hat is a 2002 children's picture book by Mem Fox and illustrated by Tricia Tusa. It is about a wizard's hat that appears in a crowded park and alights on people's heads, turning them into various animals. Then, the hat's owner, a wizard, shows up and restores things back to normal.
All the World is a 2009 children's picture book written by Liz Garton Scanlon, and illustrated by Marla Frazee. Scanlon's second book, it was critically acclaimed and won a Caldecott Honor in 2010.
The Three Little Gators is a 2009 children's picture book by Helen Ketteman, with illustrations by Will Terry. A reptilian version of the classic fairy tale "The Three Little Pigs", it received positive reviews.
Fourth of July Mice! is a 2004 children's picture book written by Bethany Roberts and illustrated by Doug Cushman, part of the team's Holiday Mice series. The book, about a family of mice celebrating U.S. Independence Day, was published to positive reviews.
Barbara Snow Beverage, who uses the pen name Bethany Roberts, is an American children's author, known for her series of picture books informally marketed as Holiday Mice.
Gracie Graves and the Kids from Room 402 is a 1995 children's book written by Betty Paraskevas and illustrated by Michael Paraskevas. The book describes the students in Gracie Graves's classroom using rhyming poems which are accompanied by drawings. Gracie Graves and the Kids from Room 402 received mixed reviews from critics. It was adapted into an animated series, The Kids from Room 402, which ran from 1999 to 2001.
Waiting-for-Christmas Stories is a 1994 children's book written by Bethany Roberts and illustrated by Sarah Stapler. The last in the informally named Waiting-for Series, it follows the same format as the first two titles, this time with a holiday flavor. As with the two previous titles, reviews for this instalment were positive. Starting in 1995, publisher Houghton Mifflin would bring out more holiday-themed books by Roberts under the Holiday Mice banner.
The Two O'Clock Secret is a 1992 book by children's author Bethany Roberts, with illustrations by Robin Kramer. The book, about a boy's attempt to guard the secret behind his father's birthday, received mixed to positive reviews.
Gramps and the Fire Dragon is a 2000 book by children's author Bethany Roberts, with illustrations by Melissa Iwai. The book, which tells of a grandson and grandfather who must escape a dragon that emerged from the flames of their fireplace, was published to positive reviews.
The Mousery is a 2000 children's book by Charlotte Pomerantz, with illustrations by Kurt Cyrus. The book, about two mouse misers who open their doors to four youngsters, was published by the Harcourt/Gulliver imprint. Critics praised Cyrus' artwork, but were lukewarm over the rhymes and plot. It became a 2001 Christopher Award winner in the "Books for Young People" category.
Ain't Burned All the Bright is a 2022 young-adult picture book written by Jason Reynolds, with artwork by Jason Griffin. Narrated by an African-American youth who copes along with his family amid the early months of COVID-19, the work is set to sparse, first-person poetic prose and stylistic illustrations, and is divided into three sections called "Breaths".
Follow Me! is a 1998 children's book by Bethany Roberts, with illustrations by Diane Greenseid. The tale of an octopus family who meets their grandrelative, it received mixed reviews alongside criticism over Greenseid's art and style.
Cat Skidoo is a 2004 book by Bethany Roberts, with illustrations by R. W. Alley. About two kittens who cause havoc exploring their home surroundings, it received positive reviews.