Charlie & Mouse Outdoors

January 1, 2020
The Geisel Award-winning sibling duo returns in their fourth adventure, this time in the great outdoors. Series fans will be thrilled to follow Charlie and Mouse's first adventure beyond their neighborhood. This gently humorous story captures familiar elements of a family camping trip, starting with the boring car ride, moving on to an eventful (and sometimes scary!) hike, followed by playing inside the tent, and a fireside cuddle with Dad and Mom while munching on burned marshmallows. The cast here is reduced to just family members, but the siblings' fantastic imaginations fill the void with creatures both real and make-believe. The strong sibling connection takes center stage in every chapter, with Charlie providing comfort and entertainment for his little brother using his expansive storytelling skills. Similarly, the dialogue and action focus on the boys, with parental reassurance and mild exasperation depicted mostly visually. Page layouts are composed deliberately, marrying words and pictures to support developing readers. The white space surrounding each line of text is ample, and illustrations, placed just so against the crisp white pages, provide contextual support. Word and sentence repetition is woven seamlessly into the narrative, allowing readers to gain confidence and mastery over new vocabulary, while Hughes' soft-hued, detailed illustrations deftly navigate between real and imaginary worlds. Charlie and Mouse are biracial, with an Asian dad and white mom. Whether their first or fourth outing with these winning sibs, kids will savor this supportive read. (Early reader. 6-9)

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January 1, 2020
Their fourth outing (most recently Charlie & Mouse Even Better, rev. 5/19) takes the siblings into the Great Outdoors for a family camping trip...but first a "Boring" (the title of chapter 1) car ride. The three brief chapters that follow include a hike ("A hike! A hike! It was time for a hike!"), encounters with wildlife, and burnt marshmallows. The boys' sharp observations and imaginations contribute to the entertainment of their parents, themselves, and readers. What begins as Charlie's doldrums-fighting, ho-hum, what's-out-the-car-window story ("Once upon a time...there was a small white house near a great green mountain") ends with an epic battle between a dragon and a hawk. Amusing surprises appear at every turn (a pig in the woods?) along with straightforward and relatable expressions of �emotion. Regarding their collapsed tent: "'That,' said Charlie, 'was a little bit scary.' 'Yes,' said Mouse. 'It was. But it was also a lot of fun.'" The parents give their kids space to play without intrusion (unless it's for food; at one point offstage Dad offers a granola bar, and who doesn't want to stop for French fries?), and Hughes's amusingly detailed but never-too-busy illustrations occasionally, unobtrusively indicate Mom and Dad's own story line.

(Copyright 2020 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

March 1, 2020
Their fourth outing (most recently Charlie & Mouse Even Better, rev. 5/19) takes the siblings into the Great Outdoors for a family camping trip...but first a "Boring" (the title of chapter 1) car ride. The three brief chapters that follow include a hike ("A hike! A hike! It was time for a hike!"), encounters with wildlife, and burnt marshmallows. The boys' sharp observations and imaginations contribute to the entertainment of their parents, themselves, and readers. What begins as Charlie's doldrums-fighting, ho-hum, what's-out-the-car-window story ("Once upon a time...there was a small white house near a great green mountain") ends with an epic battle between a dragon and a hawk. Amusing surprises appear at every turn (a pig in the woods?) along with straightforward and relatable expressions of emotion. Regarding their collapsed tent: "�??That, ' said Charlie, �??was a little bit scary.' �??Yes, ' said Mouse. �??It was. But it was also a lot of fun.'" The parents give their kids space to play without intrusion (unless it's for food; at one point offstage Dad offers a granola bar, and who doesn't want to stop for French fries?), and Hughes's amusingly detailed but never-too-busy illustrations occasionally, unobtrusively indicate Mom and Dad's own story line. Elissa Gershowitz

(Copyright 2020 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)