Mommy, where are you?

Young Ozzy wakes up one morning to find his mother is missing. In a panic, the little mouse runs outside in search of her. Ozzy spots her behind the picket fence, but it turns out to be cattails. He continues on his quest, looking behind rocks, flowers, and trees, and even by the lake. He is surprised to find an earthworm, a bunny, a squirrel, and even a hippopotamus, but not his mother. Worst of all, the whiskers he spies in the garden belong to a cat ( Oh no! Oh my! ). Racing back home, Ozzy finds his mother, who was simply out gathering breakfast. Young listeners will be gratified by the happy reunion and will enjoy the clever die-cut reveals throughout the book. Simple text and cheerful acrylic-on-paper illustrations make this an appealing, if not blazingly original, title for the youngest of listeners.--Yusko, Shauna Copyright 2009 Booklist

PreS-K-In this fast-paced story with simple text, a young field mouse springs out of bed to find that his mother is not there. He looks for her behind a series of beautifully rendered die-cut illustrations. The acrylic artwork is executed in bold strokes and is textured using a variety of decorative techniques, creating a childlike sensibility and a three-dimensional aspect on every page. The warmth of the mother-child relationship is demonstrated through the search route that Ozzy instinctively chooses. He checks all their favorite spots: the big rock, the garden, the big tree, and the lake. When he turns back to the garden and peeks behind a boldly colored tulip patch, he is met with a cat. He runs back home screaming, but his fears are quickly quelled. This is a great purchase for libraries looking for engaging, interactive books with large typefaces to use for storytime, or for children just starting to read on their own. It will be especially useful to relax preschoolers' separation anxiety, with its reassuring message that, yes, their mothers will come back.-Sara Paulson-Yarovoy, American Sign Language and English Lower School PS 347, New York City (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Cute-as-can-be mouse Ozzy can't find Mommy one morning. He visits all their favorite places, each time mistaking a different (but similarly colored) plant or animal for her. After a series of disappointments and surprises, he finds Mommy gathering breakfast. The bright mouse-eye-view acrylic illustrations with cleverly constructed hide-and-peek flaps will keep young ones rapt in the quest. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.

When young Ozzy wakes up one morning to find his mother missing, the young mouse panics and rushes to find her. He spies a gray shape between the pickets of a fence: "There you are!" But when the page is turned, it turns out to be some cattails. He proceeds, espying his mother in an earthworm's back end, a rabbit's eye, a squirrel's back, a hippopotamus's ears (!) and, most dangerously, a cat's whiskers. While the guessing game is pretty arbitrary, young listeners will enjoy the succession of die-cut reveals, and they'll breathe a sigh of relief along with Ozzy when Mommy reappears. Although it doesn't have the visual or verbal weight of Owl Babies, it has its own small charm. (Picture book. 2-4) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Young Ozzy wakes up one morning to find his mother is missing. In a panic, the little mouse runs outside in search of her. Ozzy spots her behind the picket fence, but it turns out to be cattails. He continues on his quest, looking behind rocks, flowers, and trees, and even by the lake. He is surprised to find an earthworm, a bunny, a squirrel, and even a hippopotamus, but not his mother. Worst of all, the whiskers he spies in the garden belong to a cat ("Oh no! Oh my!"). Racing back home, Ozzy finds his mother, who was simply out gathering breakfast. Young listeners will be gratified by the happy reunion and will enjoy the clever die-cut reveals throughout the book. Simple text and cheerful acrylic-on-paper illustrations make this an appealing, if not blazingly original, title for the youngest of listeners. Copyright 2009 Booklist Reviews.

PreS-K—In this fast-paced story with simple text, a young field mouse springs out of bed to find that his mother is not there. He looks for her behind a series of beautifully rendered die-cut illustrations. The acrylic artwork is executed in bold strokes and is textured using a variety of decorative techniques, creating a childlike sensibility and a three-dimensional aspect on every page. The warmth of the mother-child relationship is demonstrated through the search route that Ozzy instinctively chooses. He checks all their favorite spots: the big rock, the garden, the big tree, and the lake. When he turns back to the garden and peeks behind a boldly colored tulip patch, he is met with a cat. He runs back home screaming, but his fears are quickly quelled. This is a great purchase for libraries looking for engaging, interactive books with large typefaces to use for storytime, or for children just starting to read on their own. It will be especially useful to relax preschoolers' separation anxiety, with its reassuring message that, yes, their mothers will come back.—Sara Paulson-Yarovoy, American Sign Language and English Lower School PS 347, New York City