Zebo Ludvicek

When her delicious cherry is eaten by the letter M, Mouse is understandably upset. Unable to offer her anything else, M suggests she nibble on him, and he is subsequently transformed into an N - just in time for a nap! As M changes shape, from N to Z and then to L, so the story progresses, as mouse and letter becomes fast friends. After all, whatever shape he's in, Mouse would be nothing without an M...

A cute debut from author/illustrator Lebo Ludvicek, Mouse pairs an interesting, innovative story-line, one which plays around with letters and how they can change shape (and therefore meaning), with absolutely adorable artwork. Mouse herself is simply charming, with a sweet, expressive little face. M himself is fairly charming, for a letter! This one reminds me a bit of Peter Hermann's recent debut picture-book, If the S in Moose Comes Loose, except instead of playing around with words, changing their meaning by taking away or adding letters, Ludvicek is playing around with the letters themselves. Recommended to anyone looking for fun new (sort-of) alphabet books, and/or cute mouse stories.… (plus d'informations)

An adorable little gray mouse, with big ears and a shy, charming smile, generously shares her cherry with a mischievous letter M. Who promptly eats the whole thing! What can M share with mouse? Only himself....which transforms him into an N with a Nod, and a Nibble. As mouse and M play together, M changes to a Z, L, C and more.

The art is simple, just the black letter with white eyes and mouth, and gray mouse with her pink ears and checked bowtie. M is often part of the words of his half of the story, and sometimes those words are shown in a light gray font. The mouse has cheerful red dialogue and gradually the two share their words until they end with the sweet sentiment that there can't be a mouse with an M.

The art is clever and the story ingenious. It doesn't quite have the appeal of the other alphabet books I've used in storytime or recently reviewed - Trasler's Caveman, McDonnell's Little Red Cat who ran away, or silly favorites like Kelly Bingham's Z is for Moose - but it's quite a good debut effort. It's not quite an alphabet book, with the consonants moving in random order as the M transforms and there are some mildly creepy moments, when the mouse first starts eating the M for example.

Verdict: If you need more quirky alphabet books, consider this a good addition to your collection. Otherwise, stick with the staples.

ISBN: 9781101996362; Published 2017 by G. P. Putnam's Sons; Review copy provided by the publisher; Donated to the library… (plus d'informations)

A mouse with a cherry meets the letter M.

May I have a bite?
"A bite? Absolutely not!" replied Mouse.
May I PLEASE have a bite?
"All right. One bite." agreed Mouse.

Sadly for the mouse, the M's bite is rather large, and the mouse is left without a cherry. The kindly M feels remorse and offers himself as a snack for the hungry mouse. Mouse nibbles so much, that M, is soon an N. And when Mouse sleepily climbs upon the N for naptime, N tips over and becomes a Z. And so it goes. M transforms into several letters as the two become friends over their shared experiences and Mouse attempts to return his new friend to his original state.

Author and illustrator, Zebo Ludvicek, makes impressive use of white space and a minimal color palette to highlight the very expressive Mouse and his transformational letter friend. Mouse's dialogue is in red italicized typeface; M is actually a part of his dialogue, complete with eyes, eyebrows, and mouth. Some illustrations are double-spreads, but it is the large, single-page images of the mutually adoring friends that will win your heart.

more at https://shelf-employed.blogspot.com/2017/11/mouse-review.html

My copy of Mouse was provided by the publisher at my request.… (plus d'informations)