Mouse's First Valentine

Mouse's Firsts

by Lauren Thompson, Buket Erdogan (Illustrator)

Early one morning,
Mouse follows
his sister
around the house.
She's making
something
special.
It's red and lacy
and very pretty.
Snip! Snip! Snip!
What will it be?

Genres: Picture Books, Storytime, Holiday, Childrens, Love, Fiction, Animals

32 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2002

Reviews

[Kathryn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute, but nothing special. However, I think that sister-mouse's name, Minka, is absolutely darling. Maybe a name for a future kitty-cat...!? ;->

[Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute! I read this one today to 1st graders for outreach and they seemed to really enjoy it. They liked guessing what each item being searched for would be.

[Emery · Rating 5 out of 5]

Library date ♡

[Melenia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute

[Ellon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't know why but I just don't like this one as much as the others in the series even though I think some aspects of it are stronger. For example, I like how in this book, mouse wonders what each thing is and there is a hint as to what it is but then the object is revealed on the next page. In some of the other books in the series, Mouse wonders what something is and it is revealed on the same page, which isn't as fun.
This one seems to be highlight prepositional phrases (inside, outside, above, etc.). There is some repetition like in the other books and the items are all connected to make one thing, unlike the other books. That's another aspect I think is stronger because it ties everything together more.
Also, you learn that Minka is Mouse's sister. She appears in some of the other books and it's not explicitly mentioned who she is.

[Ketutar Jensen · Rating 3 out of 5]

So FINALLY I found out who Minka is! She is Mouse's big sister. It wouldn't have taken too much to say it in the Fall book. "One cool fall day Mouse and his sister came out to play!"
This book follows the formula. Mouse goes around and spies things that are somehow connected to Valentine's Day. This time he follows his big sister around the house and the sister finds things and Mouse wonders what they are and what the big sister is going to do with them. I like this better than the Halloween book, but not as much as the Christmas book. The illustrations aren't quite as nice in this one, though.

[Anna · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was cute, but also just an alright book. I read the board book version of this book and the colors are great in the illustrations. Toddlers will love it I feel like! I wasn't a fan of the repetition, but I understand it. I feel like I expected something different which is why I didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I would.

[Tessa Duncan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Minka decides to sneak into the house in order to find a few goods, and little mouse follows her. Minka finds ribbon, paste and paper and little mouse is confused on what it's for. Minka decides to make a valentine card for little mouse.

[Rebecca Davis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute story about a sister making her brother a valentine. The pages flow well and the text has movement as well (curled around objects, for example). Nothing earth shattering in the prose, but a nice story.

[Anthony · Rating 3 out of 5]

Little Mouse follows his sister Minka into the house, and watches as she collects odds and ends, and makes something out of it. What could it be Little Mouse wonders? He discovers that Minka has shown her love for him in a special way.

[Ruth Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Perfect for baby or toddler storytime - it takes us through the making of a valentine in a simple way and ties it to love!

[Alexandria · Rating 4 out of 5]

All of the "Mouse's First" books are adorable. They're easy to read aloud and adorably illustrated. My son has several board books and they're always a fun little story towards bed time.

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very nice book about a mouse who has his first valentine. Minka was very kind to work hard to make a valentine for little mouse and he spent the day following her to see what she was doing.

[Brooklyn Shaffer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Love the illustrations. This book was sweet. It would be a good book to show younger kids during Valentine’s Day.

[Milton Louie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mouse watches his sister making something. B

[Michele · Rating 3 out of 5]

Simple Valentine's book with bright, large illustrations perfect for reading to preschool-aged story time group.

[Alicia Evans · Rating 4 out of 5]

For: Valentine's fans; readers looking for a sweet beginner Valentine's Day book with an interactive guessing element.

Possible red flags: surprise; feeling unsure.

[Viviane Elbee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute valentine book, where the older sister, Minka, makes a valentine for her younger sister mouse.

[Meredith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mouse celebrates his first Valentine’s Day.

The Mouse’s First series gently introduces young readers to holidays and seasons.

[Rolf · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very cute, if a bit trite.

[Sharon Dorival · Rating 5 out of 5]

Old book but still good.

[Jonathan Ahmadi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read

[Chelsea · Rating 5 out of 5]

*Write review.

Read during story time on February 7th, 2020.
Read during story time on Monday, February 10th, 2020.
Read during school visit on February 11th, 2020.
Read during school visit on February 11th, 2020.

[Jamie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Little Mouse’s sister sneaks around the house getting different craft supplies. She looks for paste, lace, ribbon and other craft supplies. Little Mouse wants to know what his sister is making, but she will not tell him until she is completely finished. At the end of the story, Little Mouse receives a valentine from his sister. What a surprise!
The colors used in the illustrations are very suitable for the Valentine’s holiday. The book is rich with purples, reds and pinks. The mice are drawn in a very simple style, yet they have very expressive faces that display perfect Valentine’s Day emotion.
This book is perfect to read for a Valentine’s Day storytime session. This book can be used as an introduction for having the children make their own Valentine’s Day cards. The words in the book are simple, yet the story has enough to it to make it worth reading to a crowd.

[Sami Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mouse's First Valentine is a wonderful book to read to Kindergarteners right around Valentines day. This story talks about a sister mouse roaming around a house looking for supplies to create a special surprise for her brother. It is a great book to talk about making valentines for the ones you love and being extra kind and loving towards your brothers and sisters. This book would be a great start to an art project. I would have all of the students collect materials from home so they can make their parents the best card in the world. Then we would get together as a class and on giant pieces of construction paper great our masterpieces to give to our parents on Valentines Day.

[Candice · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cute picture book on more than one level. On one, it's a Valentine book while on another it's a big sister/little brother story. Mouse often follows his big sister Minka as she sneaks into the house. One day Minka sets about to find some special things - something smooth and rosy, something white and holey, something shiny and curly, and something sticky and gooey. Minka then sets about to make something with her treasures. When she is finished, she shows Mouse his first Valentine. The story is sweet and the illustrations are happy and colorful. A good book for almost any age.

[Robert · Rating 3 out of 5]

Colorful and nicely presented. Two mice sneak into a house and find all the fixin's to make a valentine. Nothing special, but cute enough.

Interestingly, the book is dedicated to Robert and Owen. :)
****
28 December 2011
18 February 2012 (read with Fritz upon his request)
2 December 2012 (read with Fritz upon his request)

[Trisha Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Valentine's Day so I just had to read Mouse's First Valentine! He is just so cute! The mouse was just so curious to see what his sister Minka was making. He could not figure what she was doing. It was nice to see she was making a Valentine for him. It was very sweet and showed that she cared about him greatly. He never to see it coming. I highly recommend this book!

[Angela (Kentuckybooklover) Brocato-Skaggs]

Brooks Elementary preschool

[Lindsay · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very sweet Valentine's Day story! In the story, a mouse follows his sister around as she works on a very special project--a Valentine for him! I read it for a Valentine's Day-themed program for bilingual story time.