Mouse's First Fall

Mouse's Firsts

by Lauren Thompson

One cool day Mouse and Minka venture out to play. From leaves of all colors red, yellow, orange, and brown to leaves of all shapes and sizes -- from pointy to round -- Mouse learns that fall is a season full of fun! And before the day is done he just might take the biggest "leap" of all. Hooray for fall!

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

32 pages, Hardcover

First published September 5, 2006

Reviews

[Shawn Deal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mouse and Minka play in the Autumn leaves and learn how much fun autumn can be.

[Luisa Knight · Rating 3 out of 5]

Your little ones will enjoy looking at this special book! The colorful images and fun wording will keep them entertained through to the end.

Ages: 2 - 4

Cleanliness: nothing to note.

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[midnightfaerie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A book my 5 yr old as well as my twin 3 yr olds loved. A solid reading level 1 book, this cute story keeps all ages engaged with the bright colorful pictures and cute story. A great addition to any children's library.

[Scottsdale Public Library]

Mouse and Minka take a stroll on a lovely fall day in this beautifully illustrated book. As the two mice play in the leaves, they observe that leaves come in various shapes and colors. A great seasonal choice for young children.
- Megan M.

[Ketutar Jensen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I find it confusing.
Who is Minka? Why is Mouse called Mouse but Minka has her own name, even though they are both mice? Is Minka Mouse's big sister or what?
How big are these mice? On this page Mouse is big as Minka's head, on that page, he reaches her shoulder. And the leaves are all kinds of sizes. And not proportionate to each other either.
Also, the blurb was confusing. What was the biggest leap of all?
The pictures are very colorful and nice, and I suppose it's a fun little book to read to very small kids. I suppose toddlers would find it fun to try to find Minka when she's hiding in the leaves. But I didn't like it.

[Maddi Holmes · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would recommend this book for the primary grades, second through third grade. I would categorize this book as modern fantasy.

This is a great book to introduce before fall. It does a phenomenal job at showing the beautiful colors of the leaves, and reinforcing the changes that nature goes through. I would begin by reading the book, and then take students on a nature walk. We could pick up leaves, and would continue to do this multiple times throughout the season. We will compare and contrast the leaves to show how they have changed. This would also be a great sequencing activity!

[Jasmine Stocker · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is perfect to read to kids during the fall and when the leaves are changing. The illustrations do a wonderful job of capturing the beauty of fall and the colors of the tree leaves. Teaches children about colors and how some things can be called the same thing but look very different. Very cute book.

[Tori · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book, about a couple of mice enjoying the fall weather and playing in the leaves, was a great pick for my toddler storytime (but the pre-k kids enjoyed it well enough as well). The story is short, and the children enjoyed the one page where the older mouse hides in the leaves and only her tail is showing. A great pick for fall themes.

[Jana · Rating 3 out of 5]

This cute picture shows the fun a cute little mouse house at the beginning of autumn. The lovely illustrations and simple text has young readers enjoying the pleasures of looking at all of the fun colors and shapes of the falling leaves, stacking them in a big pile, and jumping into them. This would be a nice one to share with young children as the season turns to fall.

[Alicia Evans · Rating 5 out of 5]

_Mouse's Firsts_ are wonderful books for each season. I took it to a group of preschoolers and the children loved it. I can definitely see this being read every year. Excellent!

For: readers looking for a fun Fall read.

Possible red flags: Characters in (mock) peril could be too much for some readers.

[Sydney · Rating 4 out of 5]

This short picture book is perfect for students just learning to read. Two mice explore Autumn and play in all of the colorful leaves. This story can be used as an independent read or a read aloud. Best for elementary aged children or big siblings to read to younger siblings. Rating 4 stars because it is an easy read, has entertaining illustrations, and multiple uses in and out of the classroom.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is always wonderful to see how other people respond to books.
We read this and the kids found the little mouse hiding.
They are such eagle eyes!

We discussed what kinds of things we do in the fall like celebrate pumpkins.

[Sinthia Burgos · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mika makes fall leaves so much fun and interesting. In this book, the autumn leaves are described in many color and shapes. Both friends have fun playing in a pile of leaves. This book makes a great fun colorful fall book for preschoolers.

[Alice · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars I hate mice, but I like fall so I willing to muddle through this book! Also, who is Minka. Is that Grandma? Because they said Minka and Mouse, It like saying Alice and Human.
The pictures are great, the story is fun and I just pretended the mice were rabbits... :-)

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good introduction to fall for toddlers. It includes shapes, colors and counting without seeming at all didactic. The kids to whom I read it most enjoyed looking for Minka when she was hiding.

[Sahara Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! It's illustrations and story rhythm were really great. I would highly recommend this book for a storytime. It was a book where you could easily point out the differences of fall for littles. Overall, it was well done and easy for toddlers to grasp.

[Sherry Scheline · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Mouse and Minka. Great book for pre-schoolers. Wonderful book for recognizing colors. Have them find Minka. I love the look on the face of a pre-schooler when they successfully complete something. They excitement of finding Minka is wonderful.

[Mortisha Cassavetes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a cute book with bright and colorful illustrations that I loved. This is Mouse's first Fall and he spends it with his sister, Minka, outside in the Fall leaves. A very sweet book for kids of all ages. I highly recommend it.

[Abbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an adorable autumn story about Mouse and Minka. The pair do fun fall activities, like playing in the leaves. The illustrations are absolutely adorable. The story is cute and engaging for young children.

[Presley Steele · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mouse’s First Fall is a sweet and simple story that introduces young readers to the beauty of autumn. In this book, Mouse and his friend Minka explore the outdoors, discovering colorful leaves, cool breezes, and all the fun that fall brings—like jumping into big leaf piles!

[Hailey Corman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really love all the adjectives and describing words used in this book. It makes it a good read aloud if you were talking about writing and using describing words in the fall. It shoes so many different wants to describe leaves by their color, their shape, and their texture.

[Olivia Eaton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tales for Two's - Fall Storytime

[Valencia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very cute story!

[Goshen PL Childrens · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read at Storytime October 11, 2017
Theme: Fall Stories

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a great filler book.

[BiblioBeruthiel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some great moments for interaction in a storytime setting and a sweet book overall.

[Eliot Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mouse and Minka discover the joy of playing outside in the autumn leaves.

[Donna Mork · Rating 4 out of 5]

Covers shapes, colors, and counting. Two mice having fun playing in the fall leaves.

[Adriana · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lovely little story about a mouse and his sister exploring in fall. Bright, and fun illustrations. Perfect for toddlers. Easily can do an activity with coloring or finding fall leaves.

[Emily Carlyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very simply and perfect for the littles!