Mouse's First Snow Melts My Heart

Read It. Move It. Share It. 
Every month I recommend a picture book for dance educator Maria Hanley to use in her creative movement classes in New York, and then we both share our experiences with the book. Our January book was Mouse's First Snow by Lauren Thompson and Buket Erdogan. Don't forget to stop by Maria's Movers to see how Maria used the book in her classes! 

When my girls were really young, the Mouse's First books by Lauren Thompson and Buket Erdogan -- including Mouse's First Snow -- were some of my favorites. I loved the simplicity of the writing by Thompson, who has since become an author I like to follow. I even recommended another book from the Mouse's First series -- Mouse's First Fall -- to Maria during our collaboration last year.

So now that I've gushed about Lauren Thompson, I have to tell you that what really drew me to the Mouse's First series were the adorable illustrations by Erdogan. I love their simplicity and whimsy. I love that the mice look so at home against the soft colors in the backgrounds that cover each page from top to bottom. And I love that you can see strong connections between Mouse and the other characters in the books through their body language alone. In Mouse's First Snow, it is Mouse and Poppa who share that special bond...

One bright, white winter day, Mouse and Poppa went out to play!

"Let's go sledding!" said Poppa. 

Whoosh, swoosh! Poppa slid down the hill. 

I can do that too! thought Mouse. 

Pliff! ploof! Mouse slid down the hill too. 

"Good for you!" said Poppa.

These first few pages set up the story's structure, which repeats itself about five times in the book. Poppa has an idea for a snow activity -- and usually one that involves movement and sound! He tries it out, and then Mouse tries it out. After each activity, Papa shares some words of encouragement for Mouse. It's very sweet. The pair go ice skating, make snow angels, and even make a snowy surprise together at the end of the book. (If you look at the cover of the book, you might be able to guess what the surprise is!)

I can't wait to see how Maria used the book in her classes and to see if she he used it with her mommy or daddy and me classes or with older children. And do you think she had the kids do all of the movements in the book? Or did she make up her own winter activities? Let's find out here.

I found this YouTube video of a library story time with Mouse's First Snow. Enjoy the story and seeing the gorgeous illustrations up close!

Frolic in the Leaves with Mouse and Minka

Read It. Move It. Share It. 

Each month I recommend a picture book for independent dance educator Maria Hanley to incorporate into her creative movement classes in New York City. October's book is Mouse's First Fall, which I thought of immediately when Maria told me she had some leaf props she wanted to use with her students. After reading about the book here, head over to Maria's blog to see what she came up with!

One cool fall day...

Mouse and Minka came out to play!

In some parts of the United States, the weather has been quite wintery over the last few days. I'm holding out hope, though, that the fall weather will soon return...

Fall was one of my favorite seasons when I was a little girl, and I especially enjoyed raking the leaves with my brothers and then enthusiastically jumping into the huge piles we had created in the lawn. As an adult, I still enjoy the fall. Although I now avoid raking leaves and sadly no longer think about jumping into them, I still love to look at them--the beautiful shades of yellow, orange, and red--and the way they flutter to the ground after a cool breeze blows just hard enough to release them from their branches.  

In Mouse's First Fall, written by Lauren Thompson and illustrated by Buket Erdogan, Mouse and Minka enjoy the fall both in the ways I did as a child and in the ways I do today. Judging by the cute blue shirt he is wearing, Mouse appears to be a young male mouse. Minka, in her pink shirt, looks and sounds like a female mouse. It isn't clear if she is Mouse's mother, his older sister, or another friend or relative, but she does take on a very motherly role, helping Mouse discover all the joys of fall.

Tumbling and twirling, fall leaves fell all around. 

"Look at all the colors" said Minka.

Mouse saw red leaves and yellow leaves and 

orange leaves and brown leaves.

As the book progresses, Minka points out that leaves come in different shapes and then suggests running through them, piling them up, and eventually jumping in them. Spurred on by these suggestions, Mouse experiences the leaves fully. He notes their shapes, runs and skips through them, kicks and swishes them, and even counts them as he piles them up. 

The illustrations in this book are gorgeous. It looks like they might be made from acrylic paints, but I'm not sure. The mice are drawn simply and cheerfully, and the deep colors of the artwork envelop each page of the book entirely. There isn't one ounce of white anywhere, except for a few small clouds popping out from the bluish purple sky on a few of the pages. I also love how the leaves are gigantic in comparison to the mice, which brings out the fall colors even more. 

Overall, Mouse's First Fall is charming, playful, and educational all at the same time. And the colors, shapes, numbers, and movement words in the book provide great fodder for a creative movement class. I hope Maria thinks so, too. You can read her post about the book here.

Hip-hip-hooray for fall!