MOUSE’S FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL

Mouse gets an education in this spirited offering from Thompson and Erdogan, the fourth in the series of firsts that started out with Mouse’s First Christmas (1999). Here, the curious rodent hops a ride in a back pack and ends up in a classroom full of fun, learning materials. First he finds blocks, then a toy car (“Vrim, vrum, vroom”) and tubes of paint. When he happens upon “squiggle, scribble, dot crayons,” Mouse marches across the page carrying a yellow crayon as big as he is. The placement of text on the page mimics Mouse’s movement. This is an enjoyable jaunt—Erdogan’s rich, saturated palette is as inviting as ever and Thompson’s distillation of the first-day-of-school experience will ease the nerves of antsy young ones. (Picture book. 2-6)