 | |
| Author | Bethany Roberts |
|---|---|
| Illustrator | Doug Cushman |
| Language | English |
| Series | Holiday Mice [1] |
| Genre | Children's fiction |
| Published | May 2004 [2] |
| Publisher | Clarion Books [3] |
| Publication place | United States |
| Pages | 32 [2] |
| ISBN | 0-618-31367-2 |
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.
A family of mice spend Independence Day holding a parade, playing baseball, swimming in the pool, and enjoying fireworks among other activities. [3]
The book is the seventh (and to date, the last) [4] instalment of Roberts and Cushman's Holiday Mice series, [1] [2] whose title characters previously appeared in Halloween Mice! (1995) and Thanksgiving Mice! (2001). [2]
Fourth of July Mice! received positive reviews. The School Library Journal called it a "slice-of-life story [that is] slight but pleasant", [3] and Publishers Weekly deemed it a "light, rhymed romp". [1] Writing for Booklist , Connie Fletcher said: "[Fourth of July Mice!] just about gushes red, white, and blue—from the colors of the clothing the family wears to the all-American activities that form the backbone of the book....A charming way to prepare for the holiday." [2] The mice's proceedings "[made for] great fun written in quick, rhyming text" (per Bonnie Fowler of the Winston-Salem Journal ), [5] while "very simple language helps kids understand the celebration" (according to Children's Bookwatch). [6]
School Library Journal, Booklist, and Winston-Salem praised Doug Cushman's illustrations, [2] [3] [5] along with The Horn Book (which was otherwise less enthusiastic). [7] "The energetic watercolors," The Horn Book's reviewer said, "capture the holiday spirit better than the lackluster rhyming text, which relies too heavily on repeated words and onomatopoeia." [7] Four years after its publication, the Spartanburg Herald-Journal wrote, "Featuring the Holiday Mice at their most adorable, this story about our nation's birthday will delight readers young and old." [8]