If You Take a Mouse to the Movies

The Barnes & Noble Review
The creators of one of the most successful children’s book series ever produced — the writer-illustrator team of Laura Numeroff and Felicia Bond — continue their If You Give A… series with yet another exploration of whimsical creatures — a pushy mouse in this case — and arbitrary whims. If You Take a Mouse to the Movies follows the same formula Numeroff has used in the previous books by showing how a single demand can snowball into a long list of exhausting needs. But this time out there is a Christmas theme and plenty of holiday hijinks to heighten the fun.

The language is simple but lively, lending itself well to being read aloud. The accompanying illustrations are both colorful and vivid, with plenty of details to keep curious young eyes busy as they seek out details mentioned in the story. It’s a fun way for children to grasp the idea that their own demands may be taxing at times. And as an added incentive (not that one is needed), a portion of the royalties from If You Take a Mouse to the Movies benefit First Book, a national nonprofit organization for the promotion of children’s literacy.

–Beth Amos