A Trip to the Top of the Volcano with Mouse: Toon Level 1

by Frank Viva

Join Mouse and a young explorer as they prepare to climb Mount Etna. Help them list what they’ll “walking sticks,” “mountain boots,” “sunglasses...” “Can I have pepperoni?” asks Mouse. From sea to snow, young readers will giggle with delight as they experience the magical world drawn by Frank Viva. Over and over again, the bestselling author of Young Frank, Architect will make them relive the unforgettable journey he took to the top of one of the world’s most active volcanoes.

Genres: Picture Books, Graphic Novels, Animals, Science, Childrens, Nature, Graphic Novels Comics

Hardcover

Published April 2, 2019

About the author

Frank Viva is an illustrator and designer who lives in Toronto, Canada. He is a cover artist for The New Yorker and sits on two college advisory boards. He is passionate about cooking, eating, and his daily bike ride to the office.

His first picture book, Along a Long Road, received wide critical acclaim and was chosen by the New York Times as one of the Ten Best Illustrated Books of 2011. A Trip to The Bottom of the World with Mouse is based on Frank’s experiences aboard a Russian research vessel during a trip to the Antarctic Peninsula.

Reviews

[Bekka]

Thanks to Edelweiss and Toon Books for early access to this book.

This was pretty cute! I liked the little mouse and his single-mindedness. His and the boy's adventure was a great way to learn about volcanoes. I didn't like the illustrations as much as some of the other books Toon has put out, but they are nice, with clean graphic lines that suit the storyline. I think kids would enjoy this book, and relate to the mouse, while still learning a little bit about volcanoes.

[Jessica (Spooky KidLit & We Who Walk Here, Walk Alone)]

3.5 stars

Frank Viva's bold, graphic illustrations and unique color palette make this tale of exploration and discovery an enjoyable read. Notes about Mt. Etna and its surrounding flora and fauna will intrigue kids curious about the natural world, and Mouse's constant requests for pizza will win him lots of young fans. A Trip to the Top of the Volcano with Mouse is a striking book with little in the way of a traditional story but plenty to satisfy kids who are interested in geology and geography.

My thanks to TOON Books and Edelweiss+ for providing an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Melki]

Learn all about volcanoes on an exciting trip to the top with a man and a mouse.



(Mouse has other things on his mind, though . . . )



I really liked the bold graphics, and unusual color palette of this one. And, this is probably as close as I want to get to an active volcano.

[Tom]

Beautifully illustrated book about a volcano (Mt Etna), the equipment required to climb one, how long the walk lasts (pretty much a full day to the top and back), the plants (fruits and trees) that grow at different altitudes, and the animals that live there. All in about 30 pages with no educational brow-beating, ardent moralizing over the obvious, or other well-intentioned didactic distraction that turns off kids from enjoying the development of their intelligence.

[Jennifer Kendall]

A great introduction to simple graphic novels- a graphic novel in Picture Book format- fun and informative about a mouse who travels with his human to learn about volcanoes. Love the New Yorker style illustrations by Frank Viva.

[Jo Oehrlein]

A person and a mouse hike Mt Etna, learning all about volcanos. They come back down the volcano and have pizza.

Just enough info for the beginning. Talks of magna and crater and ash and vents. No talk of different types/shapes of volcanos.

[Brittany]

A person takes a talking mouse to climb a mountain. The mouse is hungry from before the title page, but is told they can't eat pizza until after they climb Mt. Etna the next day. Includes a diagram of a volcano.

[Roben]

Delightful! TOON at its best.

[Becca]

Beginning reader graphic novel containing information about volcanoes embedded in the illustrations and text.

[Trish]

This is a short book about volcanoes.

[Patty]

Cute!

[Andréa]

Note: I accessed a digital review copy of this book through Edelweiss.

[Victoria Whipple]

Mouse and friend hike up a volcano, all the while anticipating pepperoni pizza. Beautiful, bold illustrations show their preparation, their hike, and all the natural features of the volcano.

[Alice]

3 stars for this book about a mouse who goes to Munt Etna and whines about having pizza

[Mila]

What is even happening in this book? The story is so random and doesn't make sense at all

[Robin]

Mouse is more interested in the post-hike pizza than learning about the volcano.
Good graphics, blah story.

[Erin Field]

Field Guide 2024 - L

[Ranette]

The author wrote this book after his trip to Mt Etna in Italy. I liked the science involved and the pictures showing what lives around the volcano.

[Jason]

Another cute story about a man and his (pet?) mouse. The most compelling aspect of this series is the striking page layouts. My favorite part is when the man says they're close to the top and mouse sees "Steam! BLACK ROCK! DEEP VENTS! LAVA!" and each word is illustrated uniquely within mouse's word bubble.
I just gotta say, no other format communicates with words *used as* images like comics does. Form and content in a potentially perfect marriage. When it's done well, few things are as satisfying.

[Anjanismos]

Para peques a partir de 4 años.⁠⠀
⁠⠀
Señor Ratón llega a Italia para visitar el volcán Etna y aunque no puede disimular la impaciencia por comerse un trozo de Pizza⁠ disfruta haciendo listas de cosas que puedes encontrarte mientras te acercas.

De una forma sencilla y muy visual los peques conocerán los cambios en el paisaje, los signos que hacen que sepas que estás cerca de la cima y el interior del volcán

Más reseñas en: CosasmolonasKids

[Jesse]

I'll defer to my 3.5 year old's opinion of this book: she loves it! I had to sneak it back to the library! I enjoyed the excellent, vivid colors and the very simple story that also includes factual information about volcanoes at an age appropriate level.

[raccoon reader]

A cute picture book that gives a few nonfiction tidbits about volcanoes while entertaining everyone along the way. Recommend for any curious preschool/kindergarteners.

[Anie Things]

A ver la historia es simple, para niños pequeños que se inician en la lectura. Pero quizás el mayor aliciente para que un adulto le eche un vistazo, son las llamativas ilustraciones de Frank Viva.

[Arhaan Shaikh]

Not that great.

[Andréa]

Note: I accessed a digital review copy of this book through Edelweiss.