Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star

PreS-K—Nursery rhymes and children's songs have been collected to form a loose narrative, illustrating the journey of a little white mouse. Each spread is dedicated to a single verse of a particular rhyme or song without additional or linking text. The selection is good; the majority will be recognized by readers, from "Happy and You Know It" to "The Teddy Bear's Picnic" and "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star." The CD by the Chambers Family presents each song and rhyme in a basic, accessible style accompanied by guitar. From inside cover to the endpapers, the gentle illustrations add interest as children see a white mouse set out from her underground home and journey through the pages. She interacts with a variety of other characters who appear and disappear throughout the book, but the little mouse is present on every page. She takes a souvenir from each spread, and the final endpapers show her back in her snug little home surrounded by the things she has collected, prompting readers to go back and identify the items. The illustrations are appropriately dreamy, with bright colors softened by velvety shading and sketchy pastel outlines. This picture book is a solid choice for getting rhymes and songs into the hands of children and families, and it will likely circulate more frequently than large volumes of nursery rhymes in nonfiction collections.—Anna Haase Krueger, Ramsey County Library, MN