The tiny, playful mouse from If you Take a Mouse to the Movies and If You Give a Mouse a Cookie is back. This time he ventures to school in a lunchbox. Once there he does a "little math" (including differential equations) and spells "a word to two" (precocious and mercurial), tries a science experiment (with colorful and messy results), builds a little mouse house (complete with garage and balconies), and writes a book (Goodnight Mouse). (Obviously this is a mouse who belongs in a gifted program.) On the way home he plays a game of soccer, shoots a few hoops, and . . . forgets his snack (which he left in the lunchbox) . . . necessitating a return to school.

Felicia Bond's lively pen-and-ink and watercolor illustrations are filled with many small and humorous details. The mouse's gestures and expressions are superb.

Classroom Use: Suitable as a read-alone as well as a read-aloud. We used the book in a second grade classroom to teach cause and effect (if. . .then).

In another classroom (a second/third combo), we read the book aloud then gave the children the writing prompt "If you give a __noun__ a __noun__ . . .." One young author penned a particularly funny story about giving a snake a soda (which caused it to burp—of course!—and set in motion a whole chain of comical events).

The book could also be used to teach or reinforce the reading strategy of making predictions. Be sure to check out the author's clever story starters (If you give a turtle a taco, etc.).

Don't miss this brisk, bouncy mouse tale. Highly recommended.

Reviewed by the teachers at Education Oasis.