Mouse Paint

Bibliographic Information: Walsh, E. S. (1989). Mouse paint. New York, New York: Scholastic, Inc.

Annotation: A whimsical story about color mixing mice who are able to outsmart a cat.

Genre: Contemporary Realistic Fiction

Grade Level: N-P

Readers Who Will Like This Book: Young children, individuals with a mischievous side as well as those who enjoy creating art.

Personal Response and Rating: I rate this book a 3. The whimsical nature of the mice frolicking while avoiding the cat and indirectly teaching color mixing is a fun combination.

Prereading Question: What is your favorite color?

Reading Strategy Connection:

A. Reading Strategy - Make a paper bag book

B. Description of Strategy - Students create their own book to help reinforce the concept of color mixing. Students use paper lunch bags as the pages in their book. The bags are laid one on top of the other with the opening alternating from first the right side, then the left side. The stack of bags are then folded in half. The students can put the two colors they are mixing on the page, then under the bottom flap of the paper bag, the color that is made by mixing the previous two colors. The flap has to be lifted in order to see the new color.

C. Rationale - Not only are the students given an opportunity to create a book of their very own, but the concept of color mixing is further reinforced through the making of the book and then continues as the book is read and re-read.