Little Mouse is Absolutely, Completely, TOTALLY FINE! introduces us to a mouse who experiences a range of feelings during a walk through Mousetown. This comforting book introduces a colourful cast of mice experiencing a wide range of thoughts and feelings and it acknowledges that all feelings, whether positive or negative, are valid.
The Story: Little Mouse’s sense of security is challenged by a range of overwhelming feelings on a walk to the swimming pool. Navigating a town, a park and a theme park lead to Little Mouse understanding that experiencing a range of emotions is normal and it’s ok not to feel good all the time.
This empowering picture book helps readers understand how body language and expressions can convey how another person (or in this case mouse!) may be feeling. The story encourages children to learn about the body language linked to differing emotions and promotes empathy. Amused, confused, tearful, fearful, excited, delighted are just some of the feelings that the mice experience and they also have different reactions to the same situation, one mouse feels happy in the park, another is bored.
The action packed illustrations complement the easy to read rhyming text which conveys the different mice’s feelings. Readers can be encouraged to spot the mouse that links to each feeling by looking at their body language and expressions. Each double spread shows different activities (including a game of football, playing in the park and swimming) and how those taking part in them may experience different emotional responses. Each mouse’s gestures and facial expressions convey their emotions and there are so many wonderful details to discuss in the pictures.
At the end of the book a double spread encourages children how to work out what different kinds of body language mean. It also encourages readers to observe and think about how others may be feeling and how they can react.
Little Mouse is Absolutely, Completely, TOTALLY FINE! can stimulate important conversations about emotions and mental health. It’s perfect for young readers who are learning to articulate their own feelings and will reassure them that emotional feelings are valid and important to acknowledge, children can also be encouraged to discuss how they feel in particular situations.
This is a great book to use in an early years or Key Stage One classroom. As well as stimulating conversation it can encourage learning about adjectives and their synonyms and also initiate games, in an I Spy game children can be encouraged to spot the mouse wearing a spotty dress, the mouse eating ice cream etc. It could also stimulate a wall display, each child could draw or paint themselves and label it with their own feeling for that day.
Age Range: 2 +
Author: Sharon Hopwood / Illustrator: Marisa Morea
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