Saturday, December 17, 2011

A Very Babymouse Christmas - delightfully fun graphic novel (ages 7 - 10)

Babymouse, oh Babymouse, oh how do I love you, Babymouse? Let me count the ways: 
  1. I adore the way you pull children into reading, delighting them at every step. 
  2. I smile each time I check out your books to girls AND boys, young and old. You are the most popular series in our school library, month after month!
  3. I laugh each time a child tells me how funny you are, or how much you make them laugh. 
  4. And I smile each time I read your stories and realize how many nuggets of truth are buried inside your pages, like chewy goodness inside my favorite candies.
A Very Babymouse Christmas is the newest in the popular graphic novel series by the sister-and-brother team Jennifer and Matthew Holm. Our students, ranging from 2nd grade girls just starting to read to 5th grade boys who can't get enough graphic novels, love love love Babymouse - and I'm talking a *rush right to the shelves* "Ms. Scheuer, do you have any Babymouse books in please?" kind of love. A Very Babymouse Christmas is a pitch-perfect addition to this series.
A Very Babymouse Christmas
by Jennifer L. Holm
illustrated by Matthew Holm
NY: Random House, 2011
ages 7 - 10
available at your local library, favorite bookstore or on Amazon

nominated for the 2011 Cybils Graphic Novels award
It's almost Christmas, and Babymouse is thinking of the presents she really wants for Christmas. OK, she's not just thinking about presents - she's obsessed with presents, one present to be specific. All Babymouse wants for Christmas this year is a WhizBang gadget. "It plays video games and movies, it texts, sees into the future, folds laundry, and does homework!" Kids (and parents) will certainly connect with the way Babymouse is just dying to have this newest, greatest gadget. But, as usual, nothing goes quite right for Babymouse.
As always, Babymouse's daydreams rescue her from her not-so-glamorous life. Her Christmas daydreams take her into the Babymouse version of A Christmas Carol (featuring the scary Ghost of Mean Girls Past) and a Babymouse Nutcracker.

Kids will laugh at the way Babymouse is completely fixated upon a new WhizBang, but they'll also realize how their own obsessions can get out of proportion. My favorite scene of all is the ending, where Babymouse discards her new WhizBang to play with her little brother Squeak. With the WhizBang tossed aside, they spend hours playing with Squeak's dollhouse - in perfect togetherness. It's a moment that rang true for me and warmed my heart to see.

Have some holiday fun watching Jenni and Matt Holm sing about their love for reading, libraries and books in this Babymouse Holiday Video. We had fun at a recent event for Babymouse at our local indie bookstore A Great Good Place for Books. Here's a fun picture of some huge fans hiding in Babymouse's locker:
The review copy was kindly sent by Random House, but we've bought many copies since, for our school library, classrooms and friends. If you make a purchase using the Amazon links on this site, a small portion goes to Great Kid Books (at no cost to you!). Thank you for your support.

Review ©2011 Mary Ann Scheuer, Great Kid Books.

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