How to Scare a Mouse and Bear

It’s Hallowe’en and Bear is determined to give Mouse a fright. However, no matter what he tried Mouse sees through costume after costume until a mysterious monster knocks on the door…

Bear and Mouse are back for their fourth adventure in ‘How to Scare a Mouse and Bear’ and it is every bit as adorable as the previous titles!

Illustrations start the story before the text kicks in as Mouse is gathering pumpkins and squashes for carving into Hallowe’en lanterns, setting the scene for the spooky season. As Bear announces his intention to scare his friend, Mouse, feisty as ever, declares that he won’t be frightened. Challenge made, Bear appears in a series of Hallowe’en costumes, each mocked by Mouse. The text follows the usual Mouse and Bear book pattern, making it reassuringly familiar and perfect for children to join in with, predicting the rhyming words whilst laughing at Mouse’s responses. Children may well enjoy thinking of other costumes which Bear might try and creating their own responses from Mouse as he appears in them! Readers will delight in the moment where Mouse realises the monster at the door is not Bear and the fact that their scare leaves these two pals cuddled together behind a chair, united once more!

The illustrations are wonderful- big and bold against single colour backgrounds, perfect for little children to focus on and enjoy. The range of expressions on Mouse and Bear’s faces as the story progresses is impressive, offering plenty of moments to pause and wonder how each is feeling at different parts of the story. I have said this before, but I think children would love to make simple glove puppets of Mouse and Bear and use them to re-enact this or any of the stories or to create their own.

I hope there are many more Mouse and Bear books to come!

How to Scare a Mouse and Bear

Ross Collins

Nosy Crow ISBN: 978-1805135012

You can read my review of ‘We Disagree About this Tree’ here.