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A little mouse meets a seal, a giraffe, a hippopotamus, a fox with red, red fur, and a surprise as he bravely looks to find a friend in this miniature version of Eric Carle's classic tale specially designed for the very young. Using his brilliant collage technique, Mr. Carle creates a world both childlike and touching in its poignant simplicity.
Unknown Binding
First published January 1, 1971
19 people are currently reading
1494 people want to read
About the author
Eric Carle
749 books2,454 followersEric Carle was an American author, designer and illustrator of children's books. His picture book The Very Hungry Caterpillar, first published in 1969, has been translated into more than 66 languages and sold more than 50 million copies. Carle's career as an illustrator and children's book author accelerated after he collaborated on Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?. Carle illustrated more than 70 books, most of which he also wrote, and more than 145 million copies of his books have been sold around the world.
In 2003, the American Library Association awarded Carle the biennial Laura Ingalls Wilder Medal (now called the Children's Literature Legacy Award), a prize for writers or illustrators of children's books published in the U.S. who have made lasting contributions to the field. Carle was also a U.S. nominee for the biennial, international Hans Christian Andersen Award in 2010.
In 2003, the American Library Association awarded Carle the biennial Laura Ingalls Wilder Medal (now called the Children's Literature Legacy Award), a prize for writers or illustrators of children's books published in the U.S. who have made lasting contributions to the field. Carle was also a U.S. nominee for the biennial, international Hans Christian Andersen Award in 2010.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 243 reviews
April 6, 2024
The main character of the book, is a little mouse, who is looking for friends. The mouse meets various animals and asks them, if they want to be his friends, but no one wants to. At the end he meets a second mouse, and also asks about friendship. Little mouse says yes. And they both ran away into the hole in the tree. Then they sat in the mouse hole. Just in time. Because the big snake wanted to eat. I read with interest, and a smile on my face. I think this book is one of my fav :)
September 9, 2019
The great thing about wordless (or fewly worded) board books: you get to add your own words to the story, which was plenty entertaining for an audience of littles (and their loyal reader).
August 28, 2021
Great, interactive, primarily visual title for storytime. Anticipatory questions can proceed each animal following the mouse's journey to find their friend.
January 1, 2023
I told my son I didn't reach my 2022 Goodreads reading challenge goal so he brought me this book to start the 2023 challenge off right. Book has eight words in it. 😂
September 3, 2019
The striking art of Eric Carle carries a message of friendship.
March 8, 2022
Only 8 words in the whole book
Read
February 28, 2024miela knyga, beveik atitiko mano kalbos lygį
(darbo bibliotekoj minusas – akis ir galvą einu ilsint bimbinėdama tarp knygų. prašau kas nors mane sustabdykit)
(darbo bibliotekoj minusas – akis ir galvą einu ilsint bimbinėdama tarp knygų. prašau kas nors mane sustabdykit)
August 27, 2023
This review is on behalf of my daughter during our time:
"The mouse couldn't see his friend because of all the animals were in the middle of them. There was an elephant, tiger, giraffe, snake, and Peacock. Lots of animals and he saw his friend near the snake. The friend said yes at the end!"
Lol!
Look for more of my daughters reviews under my tag: daughter and me storytime
"The mouse couldn't see his friend because of all the animals were in the middle of them. There was an elephant, tiger, giraffe, snake, and Peacock. Lots of animals and he saw his friend near the snake. The friend said yes at the end!"
Lol!
Look for more of my daughters reviews under my tag: daughter and me storytime
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 11, 2010
With Sean now reading, Harriet likes to have books on hand that she can read to herself without help. Her selected books are either ones we've read dozens of times together or picture books. Among her picture book favorites is Do You Want to Be My Friend? by Eric Carle.
In this mostly picture book, a little mouse follows a series of tails from page to page hoping to find a friend. What he mostly finds are disinterested animals.
The illustrations are typical Eric Carle painted paper collages. The animals are colorful and Harriet has fun pointing out all the different types shown in the book.
For a parent reading the book, it's thankfully short. It's perfect for nights when I'm too tired to handle a book with lots of words but Harriet wants to share a book together.
In this mostly picture book, a little mouse follows a series of tails from page to page hoping to find a friend. What he mostly finds are disinterested animals.
The illustrations are typical Eric Carle painted paper collages. The animals are colorful and Harriet has fun pointing out all the different types shown in the book.
For a parent reading the book, it's thankfully short. It's perfect for nights when I'm too tired to handle a book with lots of words but Harriet wants to share a book together.
August 29, 2018
An early Carle nearly wordless picture book. It's Carle's typical illustrations, but, with a bit too much green. Obviously a product of the 70's, but, still an alright book for those who enjoy Carle's illustration and wordless picture books.
August 26, 2020
I've read this several times to my g'littles. They always enjoy it. The story of a little mouse looking for a friend is sweet & beautifully illustrated.
February 26, 2023
Een heel boek waarin allerhande dieren geen vrienden met de muis willen zijn, tot hij een andere muis treft die dat wel wil. Beetje xenofobe toestand. Meteen teruggebracht naar de bieb.
February 22, 2025
Sweet introduction to animals and their tails!
August 26, 2016
I found Eric Carle's Do You Want to Be My Friend? to be a very charming nearly-wordless picture book. Launched by the words of the title, the book's pictures--done in Carle's trademark collage--show a small mouse encountering increasingly larger creatures as he searches for a companion. One of the very clever devices at work is that Carle starts the tail of each successive animal on the previous page--thus creating a sense of suspense/surprise and giving children an opportunity to guess who the mouse will meet next. Carle also has a long snake body sliding across all the pages, which gives the book a degree of danger.
Carle's animals are expressive and colorful, and he employs a good amount of white space to avoid unnecessary distraction. Children have to be able to understand the constructs of narrative to fully enjoy the book, but I think it's appeal could possibly carry through the early grades of elementary school. I think it makes for an excellent book for children transitioning from being read to and learning to read themselves.
Carle's animals are expressive and colorful, and he employs a good amount of white space to avoid unnecessary distraction. Children have to be able to understand the constructs of narrative to fully enjoy the book, but I think it's appeal could possibly carry through the early grades of elementary school. I think it makes for an excellent book for children transitioning from being read to and learning to read themselves.
May 1, 2012
Eric Carle delivers a fabulous picture book based upon animals of the wild. The story follows a mouse, which travels around asking different animals, ‘do you want to be my friend?’ This beautifully illustrated book, captures the imaginations of children, and allows them to become fully involved with the story, as the story can be as interactive as you choose to make it. I would recommend this story for young children as there are no words and no pictures which can enable children to use their own imagination of what animal is going to be next.
February 12, 2012
Very cute (N) nursery age book. It's about a mouse who is looking for a friend. This book is a series of colorful illustrations. It is also an interactive book that helps involve children. Each page has the tail of a new animal the mouse decides to ask to be its friend. There are no words, all pictures. My daughter liked this book. Plenty of giggles as she used her imagination as to what the next animal on the page would be. Highly reccomend this for little readers.
September 12, 2016
I like the images for this book; however, there wasn't much to go off of. I think that this was definitely meant for younger kids to guess the animal on the next page based on the tails they see. It probably would be a great read a loud.
September 7, 2011
Reading this made me sad, especially when my toddler asked me why each animal wasn't talking to or playing with the mouse.
January 18, 2019
A mouse looking for a friend from different types of animals.
February 22, 2018
Do You Want to Be My Friend by Eric Carle is a classic book that was published in 1976. This children's book is considered wordless. There is one sentence used at the beginning of the book, "Do you want to be my friend?" This children's book is all about an unnamed mouse who is looking for a companion. The mouse wants to have a friend and not feel so alone. Carle helps us go on an adventure where the mouse is trying to find a friend. We see beautiful and unique illustrations of lots of animals. At the end of the book, there is a one word comment. You will have to read the book to find out what the word is!
This children's book can be used for anyone, but I especially like the idea of using the pictures to teach children new animals. Without any words, we don't have to worry about reading or missing more detail. For example, we can help a one-year-old to point at the animal pictures and tell us what each animal is. For more learning, the child could mimick the noise the animal makes. I love the illustrations by Eric Carle. They are unique and not realistic, but you are still able to understand what the animal is. Carle utilized lots of colors in the rainbow and chose a white background to bring simplicity and clarity.
The book is very simple, but the message is very deep. As humans, we all want to feel included and accepted. We thrive off of relationships and getting to know others and feeling understood. Sometimes, we can feel like the mouse. We can feel like we have no friends. Without spoiling the ending, readers need to remember that not everybody has to be their friend. It is good enough to have a few people in our lives that actually do care. We will always face these conflicts, but we need to remember who we are.
I also like how we see the mouse on every page with lots of big animals. Carle purposefully made the mouse look very small. Using pictures, this created a self vs. society conflict. The mouse is being affected by the society, which are the animals around the mouse.
I would recommend this book!
This children's book can be used for anyone, but I especially like the idea of using the pictures to teach children new animals. Without any words, we don't have to worry about reading or missing more detail. For example, we can help a one-year-old to point at the animal pictures and tell us what each animal is. For more learning, the child could mimick the noise the animal makes. I love the illustrations by Eric Carle. They are unique and not realistic, but you are still able to understand what the animal is. Carle utilized lots of colors in the rainbow and chose a white background to bring simplicity and clarity.
The book is very simple, but the message is very deep. As humans, we all want to feel included and accepted. We thrive off of relationships and getting to know others and feeling understood. Sometimes, we can feel like the mouse. We can feel like we have no friends. Without spoiling the ending, readers need to remember that not everybody has to be their friend. It is good enough to have a few people in our lives that actually do care. We will always face these conflicts, but we need to remember who we are.
I also like how we see the mouse on every page with lots of big animals. Carle purposefully made the mouse look very small. Using pictures, this created a self vs. society conflict. The mouse is being affected by the society, which are the animals around the mouse.
I would recommend this book!
February 22, 2018
Do You Want to Be My Friend is a wordless picturebook that tells the story of a mouse who encounters a variety of different animals while he is in search of a friend. The story follows the mouse from page to page where he doesn’t lose hope in finding the right friend.
According to our class notes on art, Carle’s art is considered abstract. This makes sense because the drawings are generally created through sporadic paint strokes but together we are able to identify the animals he drew.
When the author creates a wordless story, pictures become very important. Eric Carle’s illustrations are well known and through his childlike images, they can connect easily to his audience. These types of books also allow the reader to take their time on each page, it allows them to identify different aspects of the story.
The story was very interesting because throughout every page there is a long green strip where I originally thought it was grass but on the second to last page, it is discovered that it is a snake. The reveal of the snake may seem a little out of the blue for a young child, but I interpreted it as the need of finding good friends. This is because right before the snake is exposed, (SPOILER ALERT ahead) the mouse finds another mouse to be friends with. If the original mouse did not find the other mouse, his next encounter would be with the snake in which the snake could have eaten the mouse!
According to our class notes on art, Carle’s art is considered abstract. This makes sense because the drawings are generally created through sporadic paint strokes but together we are able to identify the animals he drew.
When the author creates a wordless story, pictures become very important. Eric Carle’s illustrations are well known and through his childlike images, they can connect easily to his audience. These types of books also allow the reader to take their time on each page, it allows them to identify different aspects of the story.
The story was very interesting because throughout every page there is a long green strip where I originally thought it was grass but on the second to last page, it is discovered that it is a snake. The reveal of the snake may seem a little out of the blue for a young child, but I interpreted it as the need of finding good friends. This is because right before the snake is exposed, (SPOILER ALERT ahead) the mouse finds another mouse to be friends with. If the original mouse did not find the other mouse, his next encounter would be with the snake in which the snake could have eaten the mouse!
October 4, 2021
I got this book out of the library to read with my 11 month old. On the cover page, a little grey mouse asks an elephant "Do you want to be my friend?" and the elephant looks friendly, but the elephant never appears in the story itself. On the first page we see the end of the tail of a snake (whose body runs through most of the book) and the grey mouse asking the tail of an unidentified animal "Do you want to be my friend?" Each following (wordless) page shows the mouse standing by the tail of another animal which will be identified on the next page. We follow a horse, crocodile, lion, hippo, seal, monkey, peacock, fox, kangaroo, giraffe, until we reach a mouse tail... and another little mouse says 'yes'. At first I was perplexed because the colours of the mice confused me - the mouse throughout is grey until he meets another mouse and then he looks white. At first the grey mouse appeared to be answering his own question! However, once I got my head around that I enjoyed the ending. I think this would be fun to read with an older child who can guess what each animal is based on their tail type.
October 24, 2019
Eric Carle is one of my favorite favorite FAVORITEST children's authors. His illustrations are beyond gorgeous and the stories teach implicit morals and caring without feeling heavy-handed or trite. I recently realized there were a bunch of his books that I haven't read so I decided I have to catch up to benefit the kiddos in my life! This is one of the earliest and it's really a picture book, not many words, but it still has so much intention in it. It's designed to help very young kids learn how to read by learning which direction their eyes should travel across the page and still includes a little story of friendship and camaraderie. Best of all of course are the gorgeous, colorful animal illustrations that can't be beat. It's not quite as life changing as Very Hungry Caterpillar or Rainbow Fish, but this is definitely a great addition to a series of gems Carle turned out. If you have kiddos in your life, do them a favor and just get a set of his complete works - you'll have zero regrets.
March 13, 2023
"Do You Want to be my Friend?" by Eric Carle.
This book is strictly a wordless children's book. I am not the biggest fan of wordless children's books, but this one was easy to understand. There is a little mouse who first asks a horse if "It will be his friend." None of the animals seems to respond as he goes from alligator, hippo, lion, bird, etc. The mouse finally sees another mouse by a snake and asks if it wants to be his friend. The other mouse says yes, and they hide in a tree to avoid being eaten by a snake. The pictures show an animal's hind, and then you flip the page and see the animal's face. It's a great book to teach kids just beginning to learn about their animals. The illustrations are tissue paper art, but they remind me of watercolor paint. I also liked the book ending where the snake looks at the mice like, awww dang, I missed my lunch. The book is made for young elementary students. It was cute, but I rated it low as it is not made for kids after age of four or five.
This book is strictly a wordless children's book. I am not the biggest fan of wordless children's books, but this one was easy to understand. There is a little mouse who first asks a horse if "It will be his friend." None of the animals seems to respond as he goes from alligator, hippo, lion, bird, etc. The mouse finally sees another mouse by a snake and asks if it wants to be his friend. The other mouse says yes, and they hide in a tree to avoid being eaten by a snake. The pictures show an animal's hind, and then you flip the page and see the animal's face. It's a great book to teach kids just beginning to learn about their animals. The illustrations are tissue paper art, but they remind me of watercolor paint. I also liked the book ending where the snake looks at the mice like, awww dang, I missed my lunch. The book is made for young elementary students. It was cute, but I rated it low as it is not made for kids after age of four or five.
November 14, 2019
The story of a mouse who wants a friend. Written by Eric Carle, this book carries his distinctive style of art that tends towards the colorful and soft. New readers who might be struggling to get comfortable with books could find this book more familiar and comforting. This could make the book a great introductory picture book for young readers. The story itself could be used well in lessons for children as well. The various animals in the story that the mouse tries to make friends with could be a good introduction to basic biodiversity for young students.
March 26, 2019
Un libro muy bien logrado, por varias razones:
✂️La primera, son los collages de Eric Carle, que trabajados sobre el fondo blanco de la página hacen que los animales resalten.
🦁La segunda, es que en cada página derecha encontramos colas de diferentes colores, tamaños y formas y, al pasar la hoja, en la página izquierda encontramos el animal al que pertenece esa cola y a quien Ratón le ha formulado la pregunta que aparece en el título.
🐍La tercera, es que hay un elemento unificador desde la primera página hasta la última, una línea verde que solo al final se descubre lo que es.
🦚
Estos elementos unidos -en una edición de alta calidad- hacen de este libro álbum una excelente herramienta para trabajar con los más pequeños de la familia, aunque los grandes también lo disfrutarán.
✂️La primera, son los collages de Eric Carle, que trabajados sobre el fondo blanco de la página hacen que los animales resalten.
🦁La segunda, es que en cada página derecha encontramos colas de diferentes colores, tamaños y formas y, al pasar la hoja, en la página izquierda encontramos el animal al que pertenece esa cola y a quien Ratón le ha formulado la pregunta que aparece en el título.
🐍La tercera, es que hay un elemento unificador desde la primera página hasta la última, una línea verde que solo al final se descubre lo que es.
🦚
Estos elementos unidos -en una edición de alta calidad- hacen de este libro álbum una excelente herramienta para trabajar con los más pequeños de la familia, aunque los grandes también lo disfrutarán.
March 23, 2022
Cute beginner's book for a young reader.
As with all of Eric Carle's books dealing with illustrations, its his signature collage creations. My summary of the book is how little mouse ask the question, "Do you want to be my friend?" Not really sure of the setting because of the horse, but Little Mouse goes throughout asking the same question to a horse, an alligator, a lion, a rhinoceros, a seal, a monkey , a peacock, a fox, a kangaroo and kid, a giraffe, and all the way to the mouse. One could say that the mouse was talking to the other mouse all along, and was just bypassing the other animals to get to the mouse. Nevertheless, it's a classic book that allows young readers to use their imaginations to whatever storyline that they choose.
As with all of Eric Carle's books dealing with illustrations, its his signature collage creations. My summary of the book is how little mouse ask the question, "Do you want to be my friend?" Not really sure of the setting because of the horse, but Little Mouse goes throughout asking the same question to a horse, an alligator, a lion, a rhinoceros, a seal, a monkey , a peacock, a fox, a kangaroo and kid, a giraffe, and all the way to the mouse. One could say that the mouse was talking to the other mouse all along, and was just bypassing the other animals to get to the mouse. Nevertheless, it's a classic book that allows young readers to use their imaginations to whatever storyline that they choose.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 18, 2019
Genre: Picture Book-Wordless Picture Book
Award: N/A
Grades: K-2
A. I know this book fits in this category because it tells an entire story with little to no words. It still portrays a message, just without words.
B. Eric Carle uses the shape and size of the characters to really show the dramatic difference between the prey and the predator. It gives the audience a feel for why the mouse needs a friend his size, without using any words.
C. I would use this book to talk about prey and predators and to show how the food pyramid works. For example, a mouse couldn't be friends with a fox.
D. What animal did the mouse finally make friends with? Another mouse.
Award: N/A
Grades: K-2
A. I know this book fits in this category because it tells an entire story with little to no words. It still portrays a message, just without words.
B. Eric Carle uses the shape and size of the characters to really show the dramatic difference between the prey and the predator. It gives the audience a feel for why the mouse needs a friend his size, without using any words.
C. I would use this book to talk about prey and predators and to show how the food pyramid works. For example, a mouse couldn't be friends with a fox.
D. What animal did the mouse finally make friends with? Another mouse.
April 30, 2022
This story starts off with a mouse. Throughout the story the mouse asks other animals to be his friend. He went through many different animals until he found another mouse. He asked the mouse to be his friend and the mouse said yes. The two ran into a tree lucky they did because there was a snake waiting for them.
I rate this book 4 stars. I believe that this book shows that the mouse never gave up on finding a friend. He tries to ask many people and they did want to. As they said no the mouse just kept moving forward.
I rate this book 4 stars. I believe that this book shows that the mouse never gave up on finding a friend. He tries to ask many people and they did want to. As they said no the mouse just kept moving forward.
June 29, 2018
My Review: This is a pretty simple book compared to some of the other Eric Carle books in our collection, it may have been better for really young kids (maybe 2-3). We do love the classic Eric Carle illustration style and all the animals in the story. Each page has a little tail for the kids to guess which animal the mouse will encounter next, so it adds a fun interactive element to keep attention on the story.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 243 reviews