La Petite Souris, La Belle Fraise Rouge, Et Le Gros Ours Affame

by Audrey Wood, Don Wood (Illustrator)

First published in 1984, a picture book in which the Little Mouse will do all he can to save his strawberry from the Big, Hungry Bear, even if it means sharing it with the reader. The Little Mouse and the Big Hungry Bear are known and loved by millions of children around the world. Little Mouse loves strawberries, but so does the bear… How will Little Mouse stop the bear from eating his freshly picked, red, ripe strawberry.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Animals, Storytime, Fiction, Food, Humor

32 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1984

About the author

Audrey Wood studied art and drama at the Arkansas Art Center in Little Rock, Arkansas. She has owned an operated a book and import store, taught chldren's drama and art, and traveled throughout Mexico and Guatemala studying Indian folk art. She now lives in Hawaii with her talented family (husband Don and son Bruce, who have both collaborated with Audrey by illustrating some of her books).

Reviews

[Whitney Atkinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my favorite picture book as a kid that my grandma used to read to me every time I went to visit her in California, and after years of asking for it, my grandma let me keep the book. I reread it and basked in its glory, reliving how much I loved hearing my grandma read it to me. It's cute and sweet and iuhsfjlkrjfhudijiosd childhood, dudes. i miss it.

[Jon Nakapalau · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bilingual edition of a funny story of a little mouse who is trying to hide a ripe strawberry from a big hungry bear - nice art. I still read bilingual books in Spanish hoping against hope to one day be able to have a basic conversational competency - but that will probably never happen - but I will still keep trying!

[Mir · Rating 3 out of 5]

An unseen narrator terrifies a not-so-bright mouse with warnings of a huge, strawberry-craving bear until the mouse is tricked into sharing the fruit with the narrator.

I thought this was a little too mean -- the mouse is really terrified! He is running around in a panic with fear-sweat pouring off him. I guess we are supposed to laugh at what a sucker the little rodent is? I didn't have this one as a kid so I can't say if I would have thought it was funny then. Or maybe it is supposed to open a discussion about trust or something?

Anyway, the mouse gets some food, too, and seems happy enough in the end, so I guess it's okay. I liked some of the details in the illustrations.

[♥ℂĦℝΪՖƬΪℕÅ · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 Superbly Cute ★'s


I loved this book so much, it was definitely one of my most favorites as a child :) I wanted it read to me over and over again. Being an adult now, I love that I can read all my favorites to my little niece and still appreciate them just as much as I did back then. I just loved the little Mouse so much! There is something so undeniably charming about it. It's a great read-aloud book, the narrator is always talking directly to the little mouse and the humor is just perfect! The Little Mouse, the Red Ripe Strawberry, and the Big Hungry Bear is an extremely adorable picture book, with very vivid bold colorful illustrations that really catches the eye.

[Jamie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very cute little book. Vivid illustrations, simple but fun storyline. It is the only book that my nine-month-old and two-year-old both really love right now. My older child can recite the whole thing and my younger child finds the "BOOM BOOM BOOM" part to be hilarious. I think that they would both give it five stars!

Although I have enjoyed reading it, I would have to give it a lesser rating, and here's why. At an age when she is learning the nuances of seemingly everything and is absorbing every ideology that we put in front of her, I feel that this book is not the best model for my toddler to learn from. The basis of the storyline is fear and deception. It's cute, but it's still fear and deception. The whole premise of the book is that the narrator is warning the mouse that the big hungry bear is coming to eat the mouse's strawberry... so the mouse should share it with the narrator! It's cute and happy, but ultimately it seems that there really isn't a big hungry bear... there is just a hungry narrator wanting a share of the mouse's food, and choosing not to go about getting it honestly.

I realize that might seem like I'm reading into it too much, but I am just not comfortable with any form of deception being encouraged in the books that we read to our children.

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay. WHY is this book so gosh-darn-cute!? It is SO simple. But there is something undeniably charming about Wood & Wood--the story just zips along, goes SO perfectly with the illustrations--it is a great read-aloud as the narrator is always talking directly to the little mouse.

[Ronyell · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars

Now, I have been reading Audrey and Don Wood’s works for many years, especially many of their earlier works including “The Napping House,” “Heckedy Peg” and “King Bidgood’s in the Bathtub.” So, imagine my delight when I finally got around to one of their most highly praised books that I never had the chance to read when I was little called “The Little Mouse, the Red Ripe Strawberry, and the Big Hungry Bear” and I was pleasantly surprised by the results!

The story starts off with a little mouse going to get a big, ripe and juicy strawberry from the tree and the narrator starts having a conversation with the mouse and then suddenly the narrator states that a big hungry bear might be on the prowl and is looking to steal the mouse’s strawberry! So, the mouse tried to find ways to hide its strawberry away from the hungry bear, while the narrator continues to warn the mouse about the hungry bear being on its way to take the strawberry. Later on however, the narrator then makes a suggestion that might help the mouse save its strawberry from the bear…

What does the narrator suggest?

Read this book to find out!

I must say that I was quite impressed with Don Wood and Audrey Wood’s collaboration on this book! I loved the fact that Don and Audrey Wood allows you (the narrator) to interact with the mouse character in this book and warn him about the hungry bear that might come and eat its strawberry. Don and Audrey Wood did a fantastic job at making the narrative creative and suspenseful at the same time as we also worry about how the mouse will save its strawberry from the big hungry bear while in a way encouraging the mouse to find clever ways to hide the strawberry. Don Wood’s artwork is simply amazing and beautiful to look at as the mouse looks incredibly cute with its black beady eyes and its extremely long tail and I loved seeing the images where the mouse tries to find different ways to protect its strawberry, such as digging it in the ground and putting a disguise on the strawberry. I also loved the way that Don Wood drew the lush environment that the mouse lives in and you can see various weeds surrounding the mouse which gives the environment an exotic flair.



The reason why I took off half a star from the rating was because I felt that the narrator purposely scaring the mouse in the story just to get half of the strawberry felt a bit too mean-spirited. This is really apparent when we see images of the mouse looking legitimately terrified about the prospect of meeting the hungry bear (which never made an appearance in the actual story). Parents should let their children know that tricking other people to get what they want from other people is not the way to go in this kind of situation.

Overall, “The Little Mouse, the Red Ripe Strawberry and the Big Hungry Bear” is a truly cute story about trickery and suspense that children who are fans of Don and Audrey Wood’s works will get a kick out of! I would recommend this book to children ages five and up since the narrator purposely scaring the mouse would send mixed messages to small children.

Review is also on: Rabbit Ears Book Blog

[J. Boo · Rating 4 out of 5]

A welcome exception from the sheer awfulness of the books DS#1 (age 7) is given as first grade take-home reading.

A little mouse finds a red ripe strawberry, and is warned by the narrator that "The big, hungry bear can smell a red, ripe strawberry a mile away..." What can be done?

The illustrations are excellent -- really a joy -- and their humor is much appreciated by kids. The mouse trying to disguise the strawberry (with Groucho glasses) is a hoot.

I suspect, along with most adult readers, that the narrator is trying to frighten the mouse into sharing the strawberry with him but my 7, 5, and 2 year-olds are completely immune to subtext and take everything at face value. So there's that.

A sequel exists, Merry Christmas, Big Hungry Bear, for which I will be on the look-out.

A slight update, from a year later: this was good enough that I wound up buying a copy. DD#2 (age 1) loves it as well, and, when prompted, will say "stwaberry" at appropriate moments in the text. Be still, my heart.

[Luisa Knight · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh. So. Incredibly. Cute!

Love!

Ages: 3 - 7

**Like my reviews? I also have hundreds of detailed reports that I offer too. These reports give a complete break-down of everything in the book, so you'll know just how clean it is or isn't. I also have Clean Guides (downloadable PDFs) which enable you to clean up your book before reading it!

Visit my website!

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Despite the fact that I KNOW I had a copy for my second graders, I've never read this book. And it is cute, cute, cute! A mouse finds a delicious red strawberry. The narrator warns the mouse that bears loooove strawberries and are sure to find it, no matter what you do. Finally, the mouse and the narrator share the strawberry and all's well that ends well.

A beautifully illustrated picture book. A wonderful bedtime book and a great choice for preschool students.

[Rod Brown · Rating 2 out of 5]

I sort of liked the story thanks to the expressive pantomime of the mouse. But then my wife pointed out that the narrator was a con artist using demagoguery to stoke fear in the mouse of a hypothetical enemy in order to appropriate half its food supplies after it had done all the harvesting work. That's a messed up lesson to pass on to children.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fun, reader interaction sort of story. It's one that can be read with a lot of dramatic voice exaggeration. Trust me, this picture book will only get better the more you read it!

[Mr. Cody · Rating 4 out of 5]

Odd message, but the art is just too good.

[Owen · Rating 4 out of 5]

So fun! I have vague memories of reading this book as a child, and I'm so glad we'll get to share it with our daughter!

[Eileen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I personally really enjoyed reading this book because of the fun mysterious storyline. The narrator’s voice makes this book quite interesting and engaging. I really liked the illustrations in the book. I think that they would be really good to use with children in year one or reception where they would have to order the pictures. The pictures are really vivid and colourful. The only negative that I have about this book is the fact that there really isn’t a big hungry bear and I feel that children of this age bracket would find difficult to understand.

I have read this book to year one children, whereby I took on the role of the narrator. I also played the video clip of this story for the children just so that they could hear the narrators voice more clearly, I have to admit that a lot of the children were confused because they thought it was the bear who was talking to them. Having that said it is a book which does not have an ending a so maybe the children’s opinion may just be the right one. I just didn’t like how there was no definite answer for them. However, I really did feel that the children loved this book, especially the “SNIFF SNIFF SNIFF” AND “ BOOM BOOM BOOM”.

[Keith [on semi hiatus] · Rating 5 out of 5]

My 5-yo daughter loved this story so much when I read it to her, as did I love reading it. The artwork is so impressive and the character's expressions are flawless. As part of her reading diary at big school, she's using this book to help her learn to read so that she can read more books by herself and at her level, not the level that daddy sets on the bed-time reading!

[Marlena · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first book I ever really loved and read it (or well, had my mom read it to me) over 100 times. I still know the words to this book by heart ("hello little mouse what are you doing?").

[Kristine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Omgosh! Love this book so much. Was my son's absolute favorite when he was 1-3 years old.

[Ethan & Isaac · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think the narrator is taking advantage of the mouse's generosity with scare tactics.

My favorite page is the one with the disguises.

[Tym · Rating 5 out of 5]

The art is lush and colorful a wonderful blend of almost real yet still cartoonish. The “story” uses a rarely used device that helps it feel original.

[ghostmanuu · Rating 5 out of 5]

eu amo, foi um dos livros que mais marcou minha infância e eu tive a oportunidade de reler

[Danielle LeBlanc · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hot DOG this book is so good. Narrator speaking directly to the character, dreamy illustrations with visual jokes, and trickery! Oscar already loves this one and I can’t wait until he’s wise enough to get the rouse. The board book edition omits end papers and title/dedication/copyright pages which is a move I appreciate—get to the story! And fuck that strawberry looks delicious.

[Clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really love this one

[Nicole Bryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Summary: The story begins with a little mouse who wants to pick a strawberry but the narrator tells him bears love strawberries. The mouse goes through a panic to figure out how to hide it from the bear. In the end the mouse and narrator split the strawberry and eat it and the bear never shows up.
Reflection: LOVE IT!!! The suspense in the story is great. The pictures show a high level of emotion. I just love this story!
Use in Class: This story is just a good read. The emotions in the pictures are just AWESOME!! I'm trying to think of how we would use it in the classroom but I'm just not coming up with anything good... maybe we could do plot twist and have students retell the story with a different ending. I would probably just use this story for those times where the class 'just needs a break' and could find humor in this. I suppose it could be used to work on overcoming our fears as well tho, and being able to create a plan B quickly.

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finished my first book for the Stay Home Reading Rush.

32 Pages

Meets the challenge to finish a book in the same space: Living Room couch

This was my husband's favorite childhood book (evident as the spine is in pieces) so I thought it would be fun to read. The Woods also did another of my childhood favorites, Heckedly Peg.

The story itself is cute and humorous. The illustrations are vivid and adorable.

This was a joy to read. My husband still looks back on it fondly and I can see why.

[Sarah Sammis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sean has taken a new liking to a book he's had for a while, The Little Mouse, the Red Ripe Strawberry, and the Big Hungry Bear. We had to read it quite a few times last night. Fortunately it's rather short. I think he likes the threat of the bear and the deep booming voice Ian uses when the narrator is describing the bear.

[midnightfaerie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A solid level 1 reading book for children that all ages can enjoy. A cute story that had all three of my children engaged and wondering how it would end. The illustrations are beautiful, big, and colorful, which made it a particular enjoyment for me too. A good family read that I can see us reading again in the future.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

My daughter received this book for her birthday last week and absolutely loves it. The story is told as if the reader is talking directly to the mouse in the story. I also love that it's a book I don't mind reading over and over since that's often what my daughter wants.

[Philip · Rating 5 out of 5]

I checked this out of the library right after reading Heather's review about it.

She was right, it was great. And it's a children's book that doesn't get old even after N x 14 readings. (If N > 1)

[Cynthia Egbert · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't get it. So many love this book but I really wasn't crazy about it. Using fear like that seems terrible to me, especially to trick the poor mouse out of the food he rightfully harvested for himself. The illustrations are cute but the story just rubs me wrong.