If You Give A Mouse A Cookie

If You Give a Mouse a Cookie
Written by: Laura Numeroff
Illustrated by: Felicia Bond
Published by: Scholastics Inc. 1985
 Grades: Pre-K -3
Genre: Picture Book, Comedy

Synopsis: This book tells that story about what will happen if you give a mouse a cookie.  In this book, a boy gives a mouse a cookie which starts off a chain of actions. The mouse then asks for milk and a series of requests begins.  The boy grants the mouse's wishes everytime.  At the end of the story  after many activities, the boy and the mouse end up enjoying a cookie together. 

Theme/Skill: Friendship, Sharing, Kindness, Charity, and Wants and Needs.  It shows that every action has a consequence.  It uses sequencing, icrucluar reasoning, and cause and effect relationship. 

About the Author: Laura Numeroff   Laura was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1953. As she was growing up, she was surrounded by art, music and books.She was a Girl Scout as a child and loved reading, drawing, and making up stories. Instead of going to school to become a writer, she decided to follow in her sister’s footsteps and go to Pratt Institute in Brooklyn to be a fashion designer.In her last semester she took a class in writing and illustrating children’s books.As a result, she graduated from college with a contract for her first book to be published by Macmillan.She has nine books that are published including Beatrice Doesn’t Want To, What Mommies Do Best, What Daddies Do Best, and If You Give A Mouse A Cookie.She currently lives in Los Angeles, California.

Source used: http://lauranumeroff.com/

Pre-Reading Activities:  Bring in the materials to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.  Play the song “Peanut Butter and Jelly.”  After listening have the class explain how to make it.  Questions to ask include: What order are things done to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich?  How did you know this?  Talk about the order and sequence of this.  Group the children and hand them each sequence cards of how to make it.  Have them put in order the sequence cards. 

Post-Reading Activities:  After reading, ask questions such as:  What was the order that things were done? How could you predict what was going to happen next?  Then as a whole group, have sequence cards again from the book and have the class put them in the correct order of when it occurred.  Then have the class return to their same groups from the pre-reading activity.  Give each group a scenario and have them predict 2-4 steps after that scenario that could happen.  Have them write down the order and draw pictures to go along with it.  They will then share this with the class.   

Reflection: This book is a classic favorite of many children. I love how it is a simple story that articulates a lot of concepts that teachers can use in the classroom. Not only does it engage children through the illustrations and words, but it allows teachers to come up with a variety of activites that will teach them cause and effect. I would definately use this in my classroom to use as a starter for cause and effect. Once I knew children could understand the content from this book, then I could use more difficult books with the class. I could also use her book If You Give A Pig a Pancake after this book, if I think they would need a little more help with cause and effect. 

Additional ideas to use in the classroom: http://lauranumeroff.com/teachers/story_starters.htm
http://webapps.monroe.edu/technologyservices/multimedia/guides/3322a.pdf