As y’all know, I’m a Library Science student at University of North Texas. This semester I have the pleasure of taking an AWESOME class called Literature for Youth! One of the things we have to do is read some books from a list my Prof has provided us and then make up a blog and post reviews over what we’ve read. CLEARLY this is right up my alley! So, instead of making a completely different blog, every Saturday I’m going to start posting this new feature!
MODULE 6:
Picture Books for Younger or Older Readers
Hardcover, 32 pages
Released: August 3, 2007
Published by: MacMillian UK
Source: Library
Book Summary: This very interactive picture book tells the story of a little mouse and it’s fears with a surprise ending.
Reference: Gravett, E. (2008). Little Mouse’s big book of fears. London: Macmillan Children’s. Retrieved October 1, 2015.
*MY IMPRESSIONS*
This book is a very interactive book that is targeted towards older readers. I loved that it introduced the children to longer words as well as told an interesting story. The child may not be able to pronounce the words initially, but the will remember those they find interesting.
Big Book of Fears is considered a participation book because it has flaps that fold out, some that have pages tucked into envelope like things, and some with holes purposefully put there. It can also be considered a predictable book because on every page there is a different type of phobia introduced and it showed the phobia illustrated int the picture. it made for a great book to not only teach kids about different phobias, but to also keep them interested by opening the flaps and envelopes.
The only thing I wasn’t a fan of was the illustrations. They just seemed bland. There was no special coloring or anything that made the pictures stand out.
Big Book of Fears is considered a participation book because it has flaps that fold out, some that have pages tucked into envelope like things, and some with holes purposefully put there. It can also be considered a predictable book because on every page there is a different type of phobia introduced and it showed the phobia illustrated int the picture. it made for a great book to not only teach kids about different phobias, but to also keep them interested by opening the flaps and envelopes.
The only thing I wasn’t a fan of was the illustrations. They just seemed bland. There was no special coloring or anything that made the pictures stand out.
Overall, I give this
Professionals are saying…
LITTLE MOUSE’S (aka Emily Gravett’s) BIG BOOK OF FEARS is an amazing creation. Not so much a story to be read as a springboard for discussing and imagining, it is built on a simple, down-to-earth premise brought to life through amazing illustrations and a comfortably interactive format. Immediately inside the front cover, Gravett sets out the basic tenets: “Everyone is scared of something. Living with fear can make even the bravest person feel small … a fear faced is a fear defeated.” She has managed her own fears, she says, through art and doodling, and she welcomes Little Mouse, and the reader, to do the same on the pages of her book.
Constructed much like a scrapbook or journal, the artistry of this book is outstanding and cleverly detailed. Little Mouse, who looks more like a pet white rat, scampers across tea-stained pages filled with doodles, cards, photos, and news clippings. She carries a red pencil that gets shorter, more worn, and definitely chewed on as she moves nervously through the book, recording her own fears and adding her own doodles. Pages nibbled around the edges (added by the author’s daughter’s pet rats) and tender, expressive drawings in muted tones of beige, brown, and red give a look that is both light-hearted and inviting.
Retrieved From: Common Sense Media(2009).Little Mouse’s Big Book of Fears Review [Little Mouse’s Big Book of Fears, by E. Gravett]. Patricia Tauzer. Retrieved from: https://www.commonsensemedia.org/book-reviews/little-mouses-big-book-of-fears on October 1, 2015.
Library Uses:
For this story I would change the “STEM” books to “STEAM”. The “A” stands for Arts. I would use this to help them make their own interactive lift the flap book about something. It would be interesting to use it as a book of fears, but I’m not sure the children would know of enough phobias to put down.
Book Image from: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/899589.Little_Mouse_s_Big_Book_of_Fears
Book Image from: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/899589.Little_Mouse_s_Big_Book_of_Fears