Valentine Mice!

Holiday Mice

by Bethany Roberts, Doug Cushman (Illustrator)

"Skip! Hop! Zip! Nip!" The sprightly characters from "Halloween Mice!" frolic across a wintry landscape to deliver valentines to all their woodland friends. Lively rhymed text filled with sounds that are fun to say aloud, and a simple mystery -- what happened to the littlest mouse? -- that is happily solved, make this a perfect book to share with a very young audience.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Animals, Holiday, Storytime, Fiction, Friendship

32 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1997

About the author

I've wanted to be a children's book author as far back as I can remember. When I was eight years old I wrote a story about a rabbit. I am still writing stories about rabbits- and mice, cats, children, monsters, and dragons!

When I was growing up, I was the neighborhood storyteller. I would make up stories on the spot for younger children in the neighborhood. I read a lot of books. But I was also a bit of a tomboy. I spent much of my time outdoors, usually barefoot, climbing trees and stone-hopping across brooks.

On my way to becoming a children's book author, I was also a teacher and a children's librarian. I always liked story hours best. When my own children, Krista and Melissa, were small, I read to them constantly- stacks and stacks of books. I think I learned the most about writing from all that reading.

Today I live in Hamden, Connecticut, with my wonderfully encouraging and supportive husband, our two daughters, and our cat. We live in a white house with lots of flowers.

Reviews

[Dolly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a cute Valentine's story, but it lacks something in the rhythm when we read it aloud. I think it's because you'd have to read it too quickly and skip through the illustrations too fast in order to get the narrative's rhyming rhythm. Otherwise, it's a fun little story with adorable illustrations. And I like that the narrative is simple enough that we could each take turns reading.

It appears that there's a whole series of these stories featuring mice during various holidays and events. I'm not sure that we'll go out of our way to read the others, but I'm sure they are all light and fun reads for children.

[Luisa Knight · Rating 3 out of 5]

Simple wording but darling illustrations.

Ages: 3 - 7

Cleanliness: nothing to note.

**Like my reviews? Then you should follow me! Because I have hundreds more just like this one. With each review, I provide a Cleanliness Report, mentioning any objectionable content I come across so that parents and/or conscientious readers (like me) can determine beforehand whether they want to read a book or not. Content surprises are super annoying, especially when you’re 100+ pages in, so here’s my attempt to help you avoid that!

So Follow or Friend me here on GoodReads! And be sure to check out my bio page to learn a little about me and the Picture Book/Chapter Book Calendars I sell on Etsy!

[Amandasaved · Rating 2 out of 5]

No.

Just no.

While the illustrations are lovely, one can't help but take issue with the writing. Why? When reading and there is a dash between letters it is customary to spell the letters. L-I-K-E-T-H-I-S. Upon reading this book to my daughter for the ump-teenth time this week, we realized that the author intended for us to read this as though one were sliiiiiiding along the snow bank or gliiiiiding across the ice.

Also, avalanche on a little mouse, but we leave him on page 5 and don't find out he's under snow until page 11. That is a lot of pages in a children's book. Yet he makes it and is ok with a hug. Because love.

[Rose Rosetree · Rating 5 out of 5]

If the rhymes in this book weren't so captivating, I might mostly be scratching my head. It's a stretch for me, imagining mice dressed up cute, traipsing around in the snow to deliver their valentines.

But the spirit of this saga is built around the rhymes. For instance:

Shower valentines!
THROW! THROW! THROW!

So sure, FIVE STARS for this book.

Incidentally, in case you're wondering... This story can help even the youngest readers to satisfy their minimum daily requirement for exclamation points!!!!!

[Emma · Rating 2 out of 5]

There's not enough story or rhythm or rhyme to this book for it to work especially well for me in a storytime. This book might do better when shared on a lap (especially considering the small trim size).

[Lena · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very cute book. The mice made homemade Valentine cards and went out to deliver them to all their forest friends - rabbit, squirrel, chipmunks, moose, fox, skunks, badgers, beavers, mole and various birds and other animals friends!

[Kristen Dutkiewicz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Little mice run around delivering Valentines to their friends. Nice for young children who need a shorter story.

[Manu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Leila: 5 stars, I like it so much bc it is a Valentine’s Day and everyone wanted a card

[Milton Louie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mice deliver valentines. B

[Liz Lowe · Rating 3 out of 5]

We’ve seen these mice before. Simple working, cute illustrations.

[Katherine C. Hirstein · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5

[KaitandMaddie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I kept feeling like this ought to rhyme as I read it, but it didn’t. Otherwise it was fine.

[Danette · Rating 3 out of 5]

11/17/21 Julia read to me

[Melissa Namba · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute Valentines story. The mice are basically giving out Valentines. One mouse gets lost and is found again.

[Becky · Rating 3 out of 5]

A simple, fun book for reading aloud to young children or for that new-ish reader to tackle alone. I like the way the mice care about, and find, the missing one.

[Marcy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cute

[Set · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simple words and sentences for early readers. The drawing style is simple and cute, with lots of hearts for Valentine's Day.

[Lynn Davidson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A family of mice prepare valentines for their woodland friends and set out in the snow to deliver them. Fun illustrations.

[Meredith · Rating 2 out of 5]

A group of mice deliver valentines to woodland animals.

The illustrations were done in watercolor.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s not the greatest use of early words and rhymes as many times it doesn’t make great sense. The plot is obscure actually. However the pictures are good. Some counting but not much past three.

[Beckie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute little story about mice delivering Valentines.

[Lori · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a cute and fun book to read to The Boys & Girls Club in Middlebury! ;)

[Angela (Kentuckybooklover) Brocato-Skaggs]

Brooks Elementary preschool

[Rosa Cline · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very basic written Valentine story. Four mice are delivery animals for the other animals all to get Valentines. During their treck to other animals homes they end up loosing the smallest mouse in a snow drift! But they rescue him and he doesn't get a Valentine but a HUGE Valentine hug which is better!

[Bailey Chadwick · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think my daughter reads this book 15 times a day. And since she's on the cusp of sounding out words, that means I read it 15 times a day. But it's a quick read and is an excellent beginner book for her level. Except now she has it memorized so there's no way of knowing if she's "reading" or just being a memory machine.

[Kendra · Rating 3 out of 5]

The illustrations are adorable and really drawn the kids to the book. The story-line was confusing and really didn't make sense in places. I really was hoping that it had a better story-line. My toddler grew really bored with the book. I wanted more of a story-line that was exciting and fun. But felt like it could have been so much more then it was. I would skip this book.

[Anna Johnson]

On valentines day we share this book, we have open discussion as to what could have happened to the littlest mouse, where do you think he went, and why do we share valentine cards and treats, we then create a treat using heart shaped cupcakes and share it with a friend.

[Alexis Fiore · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book wasn't my favorite but it was still cute. It is about mice delivering valentine's to their forest friends. While reading it the flow of the words were very scattered. I think it might sound better if it is read out loud and at a fast pace.

[Nashiea Edmiston · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick read with onomatopoeia and rhyme, a great combination for the preschool audience. In this book, a group of selfless mice go around spreading Valentine's Day joy and love. Very simple text and fast paced due to the rhyming.

[Diana · Rating 3 out of 5]

While not as good as some of the books in the series, this one was short and fairly entertaining. I did find the words to not flow as well as I'd have liked, and the ending was weak. Still, it beats most of the Valentine's Day books I considered, and the kids did like it.