Booklist (October 15, 2011 (Vol. 108, No. 4))Grades K-2. Having survived Thanksgiving in One Is a Feast for Mouse (2008) and a parade in Cinco de Mouse-O! (2010), Cox’s curious, bespectacled mouse is back in trouble when he scurries into a child’s trick-or-treat bag and ends up being toted to a haunted house. Ebbeler’s acrylics have rarely been finer, creating dizzying point-of-view panoramas as Mouse views the world upside down, sideways, and every other way as he is carried in a bag full of seemingly giant candy. Clever Halloween details abound for the sharp-eyed reader, but even those who are sleepy-eyed will get a kick out of this.Horn Book (Spring 2012)In the third book featuring Mouse in a holiday-themed story, the adventurous rodent finds himself in a jostling sack of Halloween candy carried by a "little bitty ghost." Large-scale illustrations picture the chaotic journey through rain and thunder and a spooky house until he returns home. The cluttered, dark-hued illustrations, while creatively composed, can be difficult to discern.Kirkus Reviews (August 1, 2011)Those charmed by Mouse's previous adventures inOne is a Feast for Mouse: A Thanksgiving Tale(2009) andCinco de Mouse-O!(2010) should prepare for gasps and giggles as he struggles through a series of (somewhat) unfortunate events. After peeking from his "hidey-hole," Mouse ventures out to make the most of a trick-or-treater's dropped bag. He crawls into it, finding "more candy than Mouse had ever seen"-but he is whisked off while still inside. After being carried, swinging and swaying, around the neighborhood, the sack is dropped again, and disoriented Mouse finds himself caught in a serious downpour. Seeking shelter, he scampers into an abandoned house. Is it haunted? No, but heislost, far from his home. In a sweet turn, candy literally saves the night. Mouse spies "a cherry lollipop shining in the moonlight," one of many pieces of Halloween loot that make a trail he can follow all the way home. Cox keeps readers turning pages with fast-paced action in her descriptive text. Ebbeler contributes plenty for the eye to feast upon in his bountiful acrylic-on-paper scenes. Readers will delight in the cast of costumed characters populating the pages and get a true feel for Mouse's perspective in both exciting and slightly dire situations. Consider this a Halloween treat for children ready for longer, more visually complex picture-book fare.(Picture book. 4-7)Publishers Weekly (August 29, 2011)In Mouse's third holiday adventure (after Cinco de Mouse-o and One Is a Feast for Mouse), he hitches a ride in a trick-or-treat bag, but gets motion sickness and finds shelter from a storm in a (maybe) haunted house. Ebbeler fills his acrylic spreads with angular, mouse-eye perspectives and whimsical costumes that will tickle readers' imaginations. Mouse, with his Rachel Maddow-style eyeglasses, striped shirt, and oversize ears, is a charming guide to this richly detailed world. Ages 4-8. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.School Library Journal (October 1, 2011)K-Gr 2-When the doorbell rings on Halloween night, Mouse's curiosity is piqued as he sees some costumed kids receiving candy. He jumps into one of the candy-laden trick-or-treat bags and gnaws a small hole so he can see what is happening, but he quickly gets motion sickness and leaves the bag behind. A rainstorm drives him into an abandoned house. At first a little frightened by what he sees, Mouse yells, "Boo!" to show that he's not afraid. Luckily, the moonlight shines into the room and shows that everything making noise or strange shadows is harmless. Remember that hole Mouse gnawed in the bag? Conveniently, pieces of candy were falling out one by one and he is able to follow the trail back to his own hidey-hole. (Hansel and Gretel would be proud.) Ebbeler's acrylic paintings do a wonderful job of conveying the little rodent's emotions throughout the story. The colors help to set the tone, especially in the house, where the illustrations are mostly sepia and black, making it seem just as creepy for children as it is for Mouse until the moonlight shines and the objects are revealed. While a bit predictable, the story does provide an acceptable supplemental Halloween adventure.-Amy Commers, South St. Paul Public Library, MN (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. A little mouse has a fun and scary adventure on Halloween. The story is told from the mouse's perspective, and the illustrations show what he sees. There are a lot of fun details in the pictures (love the three Abe Lincolns!) and we had fun pointing out some of the crazy costumes. The narrative is short and not very scary, so this book is good for reading aloud with younger children. We enjoyed reading this story together.
What do You think about Haunted House, Haunted Mouse (2011)?
This is a cute Halloween-themed story book that I look forward to using next October for story time.
—rose123
I cannot wait to read this to kindergarten.
—Iridian
