Review by Booklist Review
Ages 2-5. A counting book with just a touch of scary suspense. Ten little mice play in the meadow and then fall asleep, unaware of the big, hungry snake nearby. The snake collects the sleeping creatures for his dinner jar, counting as he drops them in. But before he can eat them, a quick-witted mouse convinces him to go off in search of more. The mice rock over the jar, count themselves out of it, and run home. The words, few and easy, are set in large type against plenty of white space. Walsh's clean, open design and colorful pictures in paint and paper cut, are certainly attractive, and strongly similar to the collage work of Lionni. The simple story elements make for a nice variation on the usual counting lesson. ~--Leone McDermott
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
A gang of mice learns to mix colors and to count; the ``naïve charm and exuberance'' of Walsh's cut-paper art helped earn Mouse Paint a spot among PW's Best Books of 1989. Ages 2-6; 4-8. (Mar.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 1-- A slithery snake finds ten sleeping mice that he thinks will make a delizacious meal. He pops them into a jar . . . ``one, two, three.'' But, being greedy, he sees just one more hidden in the grass and goes to collect it. The ten little captured mice outsmart him, however, and--``ten, nine, eight . . . ''--uncount themselves as they scramble from the jar and run home, safe and sound once again. Children will delight in this counting game that is couched in an exciting, original story. They will cheer for the resourceful, bright-eyed, tiny mice as they escape. The torn paper collage and tempra illustrations are lively and depict the story's unerring drama through an unclutterd form and line. Each page displays a neatly framed illustration that complements the progression of this anticipatory story. Readers will be intrigued by the sleek blue snake and his whimsical, earth-toned captives. A concept book that lures children into the learning process through drama and ultimate satisfaction. --Mary Lou Budd, Milford South Elementary School, OH (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
Those endearing mice from 'Mouse Paint' (Harcourt) are easy prey for a hungry snake, who counts up to ten as he collects them. But the clever rodents escape and 'uncount' themselves out of danger. Fun for two-year-olds. From HORN BOOK 1991, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
In the crisp, clean illustrative style (cut-paper collage on a white ground) that was also used in Mouse Paint (1989), here's an innovative counting book that also tells a startlingly suspenseful story. Ten sleepy mice are collected by a snake (three together, then four, then the last three) and stored in a jar in which they can still be counted. But before they can be eaten, one wily mouse sends the greedy snake in quest of a last, larger ""mouse"" that is really a rock; meanwhile, the mice manage to rock the jar over and escape. Walsh's gentle humor, nicely honed telling, and well-crafted page designs combine to make this an unusually pleasing rehearsal of the numbers from one to ten. Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
