Review: Harvest Mouse by Ruth Owen

HARVEST MOUSE

Wildlife Watchers

by Ruth Owen

Ruby Tuesday Books Ltd.

Picture Book / Non-Fiction

24 pages

ages 2 and up

In this title, join a tiny harvest mouse as she munches on blackberries, crunches on grasshoppers, weaves a nest from grass in a wheat field, and raises her family. The book combines repetitive text with high-frequency and familiar sight words. Unfamiliar vocabulary is supported by detailed photographic images with labels, close photo/text matches, and a picture glossary.

MY TIDBITS

This takes a short glance at the life of a harvest mouse and helps kids to learn the basics of reading along the way.

Inside the cover are 'Tips for Reading Success' which give parents/readers wonderful ideas on how to lead young listeners and early readers into the pages, while making the most out of the illustrations and text. The book itself covers the life of a harvest mouse starting with food, nest building, super cute babies, predators, and how young mice head off into the world on their own. The text is kept fairly simple with only one or two short sentences on each page. Some words might need a little explanation, but learning is the point of this book.

The illustrations are true to life photos, which allow the harvest mouse to be presented in their true environment. Little bubbles provide extra information when necessary to help readers gain a deeper understanding of harvest mice. At the back of the book, there is a glossary, index, and a website address where kids can learn more about harvest mice.

It's a nice read which will help kids learn all about the harvest mouse, and bring across little tidbits that even adults might not know. The reading level is a little advanced for the very first readers, but with the tips in the beginning, it does help expand new readers' horizons.

Wildlife Watchers is a series of beautiful, nonfiction books that have been carefully crafted to help children practice their reading skills. Each book combines repetitive text with high-frequency and familiar sight words. Unfamiliar vocabulary is supported by detailed images with labels, close photo/text matches, and a picture glossary. As young readers build their reading confidence and skills, they will love peeking into the secret world of some fascinating, tiny creatures.

There are four titles available in this series:
Harvest Mouse
Mole
Stag Beetle
Toad

You can find more at Bearport Publishing