/**/ The Purposeful Wife: If you Give a Mouse a Cookie, by Laura Numeroff and Felicia Bond {1985}

Saturday, October 11, 2014

If you Give a Mouse a Cookie, by Laura Numeroff and Felicia Bond {1985}


Considered a contemporary classic, If You Give A Mouse a Cookie is another that I recollect fondly from my childhood years. My sister bought S a set of five of the "If You Give..." books for her first Christmas, and she really gets a kick out of them.

Plot. A little boy unwittingly gives his mouse friend a chocolate chip cookie, never guessing at the intense series of events that will, inevitably, follow.

Thematic Elements. Giving the Mouse a cookie sets off a circular pattern of events, almost like a row of dominoes being knocked over. That could be a fun activity! Talk with your child about cause and effect- if you eat something salty, you will get thirsty, if you drink a lot, you will need to use the bathroom, etc. Then illustrate the concept for them by lining up your row of dominoes and having them strike just the first one and watch the others topple.

Educational Opportunities. Teach your child to sign their name, just like Mouse did on his picture. Obviously this process will be harder or take longer for some children depending on their age and fine motor skills, but give it a try- with heaps of patience and kindness on your part.

Activities. 

  • Color the mouse by number
  • Number paper circles (cookies) from 1-10, and have your child count and place the appropriate number of chocolate chips on each cookie. A fun "snack-tivity" :). 
  • Enjoy this free coloring page
  • Stage your own set of circular events- either have your children copy the events in the book, or plan your own list of relay style activities for them to accomplish.

Other Resources. Let your kids watch this YouTube read-aloud version.

Be sure to also check out... The rest of the "If You Give..." book series. I did not realize this until researching for this post, but their are actually SEVENTEEN more titles that followed this book! We've enjoyed cat and cupcake, moose and muffin, dog and donut, etc, but I had no idea that there were so many more of them.


Looking for more great books to read with your preschooler? Check out the rest of this 31 Days series here!

Some of the links above are affiliate links- which means that if you make a purchase through them, I receive a small profit at no extra charge to you. But you should know that I am an avid believer in reading for free through both local and church libraries ;). Thanks for supporting The Purposeful Wife!

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