By Carly Smith
Author-illustrator Leo Lionni’s Mouse Seasons is a delightful children’s book with a simple rhyme scheme and charming illustrations. In this short read, Lionni uses questions, rhyme, and playful sentences to introduce children to daily and seasonal changes they may see around them. Lionni explores how precipitation, temperature changes, and plants are all a part of different seasons. Instead of taking the “Mother Nature” approach, Leonni attributes the changes in days and seasons to four mice in the sky: Springmouse, Summermouse, Fallmouse, and Wintermouse. He explains their roles in a way that encourages imagination while educating little ones about the differences between the seasons.
Everything about this book is lovely. Each of the spreads has one to two sentences. The font is quite traditional, and at first, the text seems rather small compared to the size of the pages. After making my way through the book and rereading it several times, I found these text choices to be quite appropriate, as they urge readers and listeners to really absorb the illustrations.
The illustrations are bright and cheerful without being overstimulating. They offer lots of opportunities to reflect on the text, ask and answer open-ended questions, and reflect on the characteristics of the various times of the year. Lionni uses texture and colour beautifully. The images are quite captivating, so much so that I found myself flipping through the book to revisit them without necessarily rereading.
Mouse Seasons is suitable for young children, especially around the 4-6 year age range. It’s appropriate for teachers to use at the beginning of a new science unit or as a journal prompt, or for childcare providers to read before or after a trip outside to do some nature exploration. It’s also a good choice for children who live in climates where there are not four distinct seasons. Little ones will surely be attracted to the rhyming words and sweet illustrations, and grownups will take joy in seeing their loved ones enjoying reading time so much.