This endearing story of friendship conveys a wonderful message. Hedgehog discovers that his buddy Mouse is hiding from their friend Snake because he has heard a rumor that snakes can be very dangerous for mice. Even though Hedgehog tries to remind mouse of Snake’s friendship, he is unable to distract him from his fears. In fact he worries so much that he ends up having an accident and finds himself at the bottom of a hole with a hurt foot. Who will save him? Several friends are concerned, but have reasons for not being able to rescue Mouse. That's when everyone learns a powerful lesson about friendship vs. gossip.
This book would be an excellent read-aloud for young students developing a sense of community and learning how to get-along. On the back flap Keller explains how she creates her collographs or printed collages. The characters have a warm and friendly look reminiscent of Lionni's work. An example of Keller's clever use of color is seen on the page when Mouse blushes "a deep shade of pink."
Audience - K-1, for sure, but perhaps older because the message is so valuable.
Sunday, September 9, 2007
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1 comment:
I agree with the comments about the theme of this book. However, I have a rather large concern. Why in the world did she choose a mouse and a snake as her main characters??? After all, snakes DO actually eat mice in real life. I know this story isn't real life, but I also don't want young kids to think that mice and snakes can be best friends.
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