The Mother’s Day Mice

Though I like the idea of this book, as well as the talent behind the illustrations, after reading this to my children and seeing their anxiety about the huge, menacing black cat that scares the mice, my husband and I have decided not to read this anymore to them. The mouse family is sweet, and the intent of the story is admirable, with the littlest mouse giving his mother a thoughtful gift for Mother’s Day. I understand that most plots have some type of conflict that is resolved, but we discovered that the cat in this book was too scary for young children. There is a full-page illustration of this cat’s scary face and head which is unnecessary, I believe, to make this story a success. We absolutely love reading stories to our children, and in fact, don’t watch T.V. as we want books to be a bigger part of their lives. I understand that some people value exposing their children to scariness in books as a way to explain these things in the safety of their home, but sometimes images can remain in a child’s mind for a long time, and if it comes from a contrived situation, such as in a fictional story, the child may find it harder to reconcile within the context of real life. We found that our children had a hard time appreciating the point of the story, because they were too thrown by the big, black cat. These happen to be children who live on a farm and have a pet cat themselves! They’ve dealt with real-life “scariness” such as the death of animals, nearby sightings of bears, foxes and other wild animals…etc., but all of these fit within the context of their lives. I books, they seem to appreciate images and text that work well together-in this case, the cat is bigger than life.
Rating: 1 / 5
The Mother’s Day Mice

A collaboration between Eve Bunting and Jan Brett, two of my favorite authors, this is a sweet story that introduces the concept of Mother’s Day at a level young children can understand. Three mice brothers wake up early on Mother’s Day morning and embark on a quest, braving several predators, to obtain gifts for their mother. The eldest finds a dandelion fluffball for her to wish on; the middle finds one of the first strawberries of Spring. The youngest wants to bring her honeysuckle but is prevented by Cat, who guards Honeysuckle Cottage. In lieu of this gift, he presents an alternative one which surprises everyone.

Many virtues are presented in this brief adventure: the mouse brothers are loyal to one another, brave in the face of danger, generous in their impulses, and honoring to their mother. The two eldest take responsibility for the well-being of the youngest, and the story ends with a warm family scene as Mother receives her gifts with gratitude. The illustrations are rich in detail (though not as lavish as Brett’s other books) and the text (while not as brilliant as Bunting’s usual work) lays out a pretty satisfying (if thinly developed) story.

One unintended consequence of reading this book the week before Mother’s Day was that when the big day did roll around, my three-year-old son was not to be dissuaded from a quest outdoors to bring home a gift for me. The book really did define the day for him. It might not make it into the regular reading basket, but as a special holiday book it is an excellent choice.
Rating: 4 / 5
The Mother’s Day Mice

This is another heart warming story. It shows how much love there is for family and what family will do to do something special for the people they love. The mice were searching for special gifts for Mother Mouse on Mother’s day….. and Little Mouse found the most wonderful gift of all!!! I think it’s a very sweet book on how much family will do for each other. It tells what the little mice had to do to get their mother their own special present for a special day.
Rating: 5 / 5
The Mother’s Day Mice