Leo Lionni's Little Mice Tales

by Leo Lionni

Four classic Leo Lionni mouse fables are collected in one handsome box set, just the right size for small hands. Lionni's familiar torn-paper collages with their gorgeous earthy colors will become immediate favorites for a whole new generation of readers. Caldecott Honor book Frederick , about a contemplative mouse who dreams away the summer while others harvest food for the winter, joins three lesser known but equally wonderful stories. Each features a protagonist who follows her or his heart, in spite of the scoffing and opposition of others. In Matthew's Dream , a mouse discovers his passion for art after a trip to a museum. Tillie in Tillie and the Wall fantasizes about what is on the other side of the wall alongside her meadow home, and eventually overcomes her community's resistance to venture forth and find out. Geraldine ( Geraldine the Music Mouse ) nibbles away at a hunk of cheese to create a sculpture of a flute-playing mouse, which then, magically, begins to play music. This splendid collection of quiet, thought-provoking tales is enjoyable on many levels, for readers of all ages. Lovely! (Ages 3 to 7) --Emilie Coulter

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Animals

4 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

Leo Lionni wrote and illustrated more than 40 highly acclaimed children's books. He received the 1984 American Institute of Graphic Arts Gold Medal and was a four-time Caldecott Honor Winner--for Inch by Inch, Frederick, Swimmy, and Alexander and the Wind-Up Mouse. Leo Lionni died in October of 1999 at his home in Tuscany, Italy, at the age of 89.

Leo Lionni has gained international renown for his paintings, graphic designs, illustrations, and sculpture, as well as for his books for children. He was born in Holland in 1910 of Dutch parents, and although his education did not include formal art courses (in fact, he has a doctorate in economics from the University of Genoa), he spent much of his free time as a child in Amsterdam's museums, teaching himself to draw.

Lionni's business training gradually receded into the background as his interest in art and design grew. Having settled in Milan soon after his marriage in 1931, he started off by writing about European architecture for a local magazine. It was there that he met the contacts who were to give him a start as a professional graphic designer. When he moved to America in 1939, Lionni was hired by a Philadelphia advertising agency as art director. Later he became design director for the Olivetti Corporation of America, and then art director for Fortune magazine. At the same time, his reputation as an artist flourished as he began to exhibit his paintings and drawings in galleries from New York to Japan.

Lionni launched his career as an author/illustrator of books for children in 1959. Originally developed from a story he had improvised for his grandchildren during a dull train ride, Little Blue and Little Yellow was the first of what is now a long list of children's picture books, including four Caldecott Honor Books.

Reviews

[Shawn · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this at Kohls in a long check out line. This is a story about a manipulative mouse named Frederick who refuses to help the other mice store food for the long and cold winter that is swiftly approaching. To accomplish this Frederick tells the other mice that he's doing his fair share by "capturing colors because winter is grey and dreary" and a bunch of other philosophical gibberish. When winter comes and the food runs out, Frederick describes all the tastes and colors he was collecting in such detail that the other mice can literally taste and see the things he is describing. Congratulations Frederick. You paint a nice picture but now everyone you've ever known and loved is going to starve and or freeze to death because you're to good for some manual labor. I'd rate this dark piece of fiction a 2 out of 5.

[Maureen Vander Heyden · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cute read with both young and old students. While Frederick's family prepares for winter by gathering food, Frederick decides to gather, rays, colors, and words. When the cold days of winter are upon them and his family has run out of food, Frederick saves the day with his supplies! The pictures are engaging with the right amount of color to catch the eye of the reader.

[Cristina Di Matteo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Piccole storie di topolini che parlano di amicizia, immaginazione e scoperta. Con la sua inconfondibile semplicità visiva e poetica, Lionni regala fiabe brevi ma dense di significato, capaci di trasmettere ai bambini (e non solo) verità universali con delicatezza e incanto.

[Melia Bents · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story of Frederick was simple and complete, but the content was questionable. While Frederick's friends collected food for the cold winter, Frederick did not contribute or help. Instead, he collected words, colors, and thoughts. To me, this seems selfish and lazy. I would see this as a problematic message to my students, for it could be teaching them that it is okay to sit-out while others work hard towards a shared goal. On the other hand, Frederick recited beautiful words and poems which showed creativity and deep meaning. This book is appropriate for ages 5 and up.

[Landon Turnbull · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to a read aloud of this book on Youtube, and I thought it could be a very benefical book for children in an elementary enviroment. This book won the Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Platinum Award in 2006. Throughout this book, a mouse collects words, colors, and more for the winter to help others get through the hard time. I believe that this book can help students become more creative, and to become more comfortable with themseleves as indivudals. I would love to have this book in my classroom, and use it as a read aloud during winter time.

[Zulu Aunty · Rating 4 out of 5]

IsiZulu version book review:

Surprisingly it works…it truly works for pre-teens especially.

[Amelia Lin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a cute book! Frederick reminds me of myself :3

[Zainab Alhaitham · Rating 5 out of 5]

And Winter is last…with little cold feet. Aren’t we lucky the seasons are four? Think of a year with one less…or one more!”

[im_just_vidu · Rating 2 out of 5]

Don't be a Fredrick.

[Bianca · Rating 5 out of 5]

O carte despre rolul artei și al creației în perioade dificile, de constrângeri materiale, despre prejudecăți de tipul "cine nu muncește fizic, nu contribuie la bunăstarea societății/grupului", despre puterea imaginației, a viselor.

[allison perkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

this is a great book because it explores some great themes like friendship and courage! this is also a very engaging book for readers!

[Brooke · Rating 5 out of 5]

This rating is for Fredrick but I could only find it in French.

I don't usually review children's books, though I read my fair share, but I've been thinking a lot about this one and not just because it is one of my daughter's current favorites. First some background, my youngest starts kindergarten in the fall and people have started asking me if I intend to go back to work...

Fredrick is about a family of field mice. While the rest of the mice gather nuts and berries, corn and straw; Fredrick gathers warmth and sunlight, colors and words. Though Fredrick doesn't look as busy as the others, they all appreciate his work in the cold gray of winter.

I wish I lived in a world that legitimized my work.

[Cassie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this reading so much! Great story line and catches the attention of the reader very easily. The illustrations were very kid friendly which could be great for making an art lesson out of this book.

[Chris Baron · Rating 4 out of 5]

This rating is for Frederick, the story of a mouse whose poetic words help mice make it through a long, cold winter.

[Korinna Hernandez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very cute!

[Little Champs]

3039

[Savannah Reymann]

Frederick, a little working mouse, was unlike other mice who gathered food and supplies in his town. Frederick gathered words for the winter so that they would not run out of words and boy did have he a lot to teach his fellow mice!

"Frederick" is a cute, picture book that is full of vivid details and teaches children about different elements of literature and the importance of diction. For example, Frederick instructed his friends to close their eyes and listen to the words he was saying; this ultimately allowed them to paint a picture in their minds. This book has great pictures to support the text, which will help keep the readers engaged throughout their reading.

I would use this book to help teach figurative language in English Language Arts in fifth grade. Examples of figerative language that are found in the book include imagery, personification, and onomatopia.

[Cassie Dolan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was meant for children around like third or fourth grade. The moral of the story was being respectful of everyone’s talents because you never know when they will come in handy. When the other mice were working to gather food and supplies only Fredrick sat out and took in the sun rays, colors and words. And when the time came when the mice ran out of supplies Fredrick was the one to bring the warmth and comfort. The images were also so simple and beautiful and not to hard to follow