review: Happy Easter, Mouse by Laura Numeroff

Happy Easter, Mouse by Laura Numeroff. Illustrated by Felicia Bond. HarperCollins, 2010 (978-0-694-0142204) $6.99 board

After being happy to see the exuberant mouse from If You Give a Mouse a Cookie again, it was a little disappointing to realize that this is not one of the sophisticated circular tales of that series, but a simple concept book about colors. But closer inspection showed plenty to appreciate on that simpler scale.

Mouse has been decorating eggs for Easter. He wakes up in the morning to find a yellow egg under his covers. And who put those red eggs on the counter? And balanced the purple eggs in the table? Careful watchers will spot clues sneaking around some of the pages.

The illustrations are the highlight of this book. Aimed at younger children, they're less elaborate than those of the rest of the series, with lots of white space. But the expressiveness and detail remain. Mouse's bedcover is a beautifully detailed bandana, over which he looks thrilled by the egg he finds. He dashes excitedly around the house, finding eggs in charming little vignettes. There are quite a few visual references to Mouse's first book here, so older fans could enjoying sharing this with younger children. (1-3)

© 2010 Wendy E. Betts

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