My mother recently got this book for my son. She's given us quite a few Little Critter books, so he's a well known character around here. Little Critter lives in a such a messy, animal-filled, chaotic world. It's refreshing to read older books sometimes, because they are less sanitized and safe. It's OK that Little Critter has a mouse eating cookies under his bed. He's part of a cast that repeats throughout the series: a spider, a grasshopper, cat, dog, etc.Toddlers and young children relate to all his dilemmas, but his strange world keeps things interesting and a bit less preachy. This book is a lift-the-flap, which always engages even distracted toddlers. I ended up reading it 5 times in a row to my nephew the other morning.
The illustration style is nothing that would catch my eye - I prefer Mayer's "There's an Alligator Under My Bed" if anything. But the series as a whole has a very long shelf-life - something as 'bookmakers', I think we all strive for.
We have a Little Critter Book about Thunderstorms that my kids love to look at and analyze also.
ReplyDeleteOh I loved these so much. You know, John Nez ghost illustrated some of these too? I still have several that I kept after Jesse out grew them. These were what he learned to read with.
ReplyDeleteI really love Little Critter. I oddly discovered him as an adult. Funny I experience no less of a feeling of nostalgia for my having discovered him as a grown up!
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