Squeak!

Laura McGee Kvasnosky

Book - 2019

A mouse wakes up with a squeak, and his noise sets off a chain reaction of animals waking each other up.

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2 / 2 copies available
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Subjects
Genres
Nature fiction
Picture books
Published
New York, NY : Philomel Books [2019]
Language
English
Main Author
Laura McGee Kvasnosky (author)
Other Authors
Kate Harvey McGee (illustrator)
Physical Description
1 volume (unpaged) : color illustrations ; 24x27 cm
ISBN
9780525518150
Contents unavailable.
Review by Booklist Review

In the early morning, a soft breeze tickles awake a small mouse. He squeaks, waking the chipmunks above, whose scampering causes pinecones to fall (KERPLOP!) into the river below, waking the trout with a SPLISH SPLISH SPLASH. The chain of events continues until the sun has risen and the world is full of noisy, wakened animals: elk, eagle, bears, wolves, bighorn sheep, bison, and then all the meadow creatures. The small mouse hears the big ruckus, wonders why everyone is up so early, and then drifts back to sleep. The creative duo behind Little Wolf's First Howling (2017) returns with this ode to animals of the American West. The text is melodic and vivid without feeling overwritten: The bison's bellows billowed over the mountains and meadows and woke up everybody else. The alliteration, combined with a wealth of rich sounds, makes the book a joy to read aloud. Digitally painted over a black layer of gouache resist, the illustrations resemble wood block printing and convey the growing light of dawn with stunning beauty. Animals are portrayed accurately, with limited anthropomorphizing. Rich details reward repeated, careful readings, and a sharp eye will find hints on each spread of the next creature to wake up. A surefire hit for storytime, one-on-one reading, and gift giving.--Suzanne Harold Copyright 2019 Booklist

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review

PreS-Gr 1--Early one morning, under the periwinkle sky of dawn, a soft breeze causes a young mouse to awaken with a squeak.The squeak stirs the chipmunks, who then surprise the trout. The splashing of the trout wakes an elk who bumps the tree of an eagle. The flap of eagle wings awakens the bear cubs whose chatter alerts a pack of wolves. Their howls echo to the cliffs of the bighorn sheep, whose movement causes rocks to tumble to the fields of the enormous bison. All of this commotion awakens the rest of the animals in the valley and a cacophony of sounds ensues. Little mouse is confused by all of the noise and sleepily wonders why everyone is up so early before happily drifting back off to sleep. This adorable circular story for young readers is a great way to start or end the day with a little humor. The pattern of cause and effect will intrigue young listeners and they will eagerly wonder what will happen next. The diversity of animals is robust and the onomatopoeia of their animal sounds is enjoyable and fun to say aloud. The many shades of blue and green expertly depict the early morning landscape of the beautiful mountainous region. The vocabulary used in the text is rich and will expose early readers to new words. VERDICT A lively read-aloud story about a tiny mouse that causes a big stir.--Amy Shepherd, St. Anne's Episcopal School, Middleton, DE

(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review

In their second picture-book collaboration, sisters Kvasnosky and McGee (Little Wolfs First Howling) return with another homage to naturehere, starring a mountain meadow and its inhabitants. Cool-hued, textured illustrations capture the stillness and expectancy of an early morning as a breeze ripple[s] through the meadows and mountains, tickling the ear of a small mouse as he sleeps nestled in the base of a hollow pine tree. His tiny squeak! sets off a concatenation of animal sounds and other noises as the meadows inhabitants wake up and begin the day. The squeak! wakes chittering chipmunks, who cause pinecones to fall kerplop! into the river, waking the trout, whose splish splash! wakes a sleeping elkand the chain continues until the entire area is awake and welcoming the dawn. With vivid language and realistically rendered art, the text and illustrations work together to portray the animals in their natural habitats (an eagle launches from the top of a cottonwood tree, bighorn sheep perch on cliffs) and create a rich visual and auditory read-aloud experience. After a culminating, wonderfully cacophonous meadow panorama showcasing additional animals and their sonic contributions, the story loops back to the small mouse, who wonders why everyone is up so early and snuggles back down into his pine-tree nest to go back to sleepan entirely satisfying conclusion. emmie stuart September/October 2019 p.60(c) Copyright 2019. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review

A mouse inadvertently ignites an early-morning chain reaction.As a breeze tickles his ear, a small mouse wakes with a wee "SQUEAK," disturbing chipmunks in the branches above. Their chitter-chatter dislodges pine cones that "KERPLOP" into the river, prompting resting trout to leap with a "SPLISH" and a "SPLASH." This awakens a sleeping elk, whose antlers bump a cottonwood tree with a resounding "KA-BONK!" In response, an eagle nesting in the tree takes flight with a "WAH-WHOOOOSH," waking bear cubs in a cave, which causes their grumpy mother to "GRRRRRRR!" A nearby wolf pack joins in with yips and long, drawn-out howls, triggering a bighorn lamb to disturb loose rocks and gravel with a "RUMBLE BUMBLE BOOOOOOM!" An irritated bison bellows a loud "ARRRGRUMMMPHH!" Soon all creatures in the valley are awake and participating in a boisterous cacophony. Sprightly double-page spreads, realistically rendered with bold outlines of black gouache digitally colored in Photoshop, create the ideal backdrop for this unfolding medley. From the opening spread of the barely visible mouse asleep beneath a towering tree foregrounding a vista of river, meadow, and bluffs, each page turn artfully leads from one amusing event to the next, highlighting each animal in its habitat, while prominent placement of animal sounds in large font reinforces the auditory theme. A delightful, onomatopoeic introduction to the interactive sounds of awakening animals. (Picture book. 4-7) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.