Member Reviews

A cute picture book perfect for a late autumn early winter reading, about the animals in the forests and how different groups of animals have different names. It was pretty cute.

The art is great, quite beautiful, but it's missing that je ne sais quoi for it to be stunning. It's simply not flowing.

Anyway, cute read!

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This is a wonderful wintery book about animal groups. It's a cozy story introducing children to the groups of animals in the forest and where they go during winter. The illustrations are cozy and welcoming. This would make a cute read aloud!

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Thank you to Sourcebooks and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this adorable picture book! As a preschool teacher and youth services librarian, I have long been a fan of Christie Matheson's books. I love the interactive illustrations, and the joy that students feel when they see her words come to life. This was a new conceptual take by this author, but I loved it just as much, if not more, than her other books. A fun look at hibernation, and collective nouns for forest animals, it also includes a mystery and a vocabulary lesson at the end. My sons, ages 6 and 7, really enjoyed reading this with me! We hope to continue reading more books by this author as long as she keeps writing!

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This book brought a wave of nostalgia for me, with just the right touch of spooky vibes (didn’t know where the story was going) making it a fun read for both me and the kids! I adored the simple, catchy rhymes and the stunning illustrations. It’s definitely one I’d love to add to our collection.

Thank you, NetGalley!

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I love the cadence of this book. It's so fun to read! Plus the use of the collective nouns for each type of animal was extra delightful. A great book year round, but also would be great to add to your fall/winter book collection.

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I cannot wait to share this story during storytime! The illustrations are lovely, and the text is fun with its rhymes. What a great way to introduce Littles to the idea of collective nouns, and to talk about other types of collections! I can easily see this in a storytime with "Over and Under the Snow"
by Kate Messner.

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Thank you SOURCEBOOKS Kids, Sourcebooks Jabberwocky, and NetGalley for the electronic review copy of this book. Lovely illustrations and a rhyming mystery combine in this fun story full of collective nouns. Looking forward to sharing and discussing this adorable story with my students.

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Thank you Netgalley and sourcebooks kids for ARC in exchange of an honest review.

A mischief of mice is a book with illustrations that feels calm and pleasing to the eyes. There is a soothing feeling even amongst chaos in the book.

I will definitely recommend it for young kids.

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I love the artwork in this picture book and how it builds a sense of mystery and tension as the story builds. The use of collective nouns introduces children to the interesting way we name groups of different animals, and it could be a great way to create a sense of curiosity about animals not included in this book. While the mice are found safe and sound at the end, many of the animals in the book are natural predators and it could spark conversations regarding food chains in nature. As the story takes place in the fall, this would be a great story to read as we begin to talk about how different animals prepare for winter, including hibernation. I especially love how the squirrels are genuinely worried and won't rest until they've found the mice and solved the mystery. It is a sweet book with a touch of mystery and foreboding that ends with a sense that all is well.
As an elementary educator, I would definitely read this book to my students and recommend it to my fellow educators.
Thanks so much to NetGalley and Sourcebook Kids for the e-book ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

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Imaginative and fresh settings and important themes and cute art style.
As for the storyline, it lacks a bit of subtlety and nuanced tension for my tastes but my child liked it plenty.

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This rhyming mystery tale wonderfully introduces collective animal group names to young readers. Centering around the disappearance of a mischief of mice, a scurry of concerned squirrels wonder where their missing neighbors might be. Taking on the search during an icy cold dusk, they wonder what other animals could possibly be involved. Could the skulk of foxes or the gaze of raccoons have something to do with it? Or maybe the clutter of spiders? The story unfolds with many other animal encounters... but as it turns out, the mice were just fulfilling a natural instinct. A beautifully detailed book that is reminiscent of a folktale, it brings light to animal behavior, connections, and to the vast language of collective groups in nature. With warm and delightful illustrations displaying genuine wild animals in their habitat, readers will be left with a serene feeling regarding the forest and its mysterious residents. A valuable tool that will enrich all who read it!

Out Aug. 6, 2024 ...Thank you to Netgalley and SOURCEBOOKS KIDS for sharing an advanced digital copy with me to review. All opinions are my own.

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I received and ARC of this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This picture book is seriously cute. I loved that each group of animals is named as the enter the story. Kids are going to love that. Especially since so many of them are delightful and unexpected. The illustrations support the story well. This book will make an excellent read aloud in classrooms and storytimes.

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As the season changes from crisp to cold, a scurry of squirrels discover that the mischief of mice are missing! In this tale of "where can they be?," young readers will learn the collective nouns given to different animal groups. Follow along with the woodland creatures as they try to figure out what happened to those elusive mice!

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In this adorable fall mystery, a mischief of mice have disappeared and a scurry of squirrels goes on the hunt for them. Throughout their search, they encounter other groups of animals, some more helpful than others. I am a huge fan of Christie Matheson, and A Mischief of Mice does not disappoint. It cleverly teaches the readers the group names of many common animals, while also solving a mystery. This book may not have Matheson’s typical bright colors, but the movement and personality of the animals, particularly the squirrels, are sure to keep young readers engaged

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The leaves are falling and suddenly the mice disappear! The squirrels are worried and ask everyone they see. Along the way we learn the names of collective nouns for groups of animals, like a prickle of porcupines and a scurry of squirrels.
The illustrations by the author are fun, appropriately colorful, and absolutely delightful.
Well suited for reading WITH someone of any age including ESL, and great for gifting to EVERYone, but especially to a school or your local public library!
I requested and received a free temporary e-book on Adobe Digital Editions from SOURCEBOOKS Kids | Sourcebooks Jabberwocky via NetGalley. Thank you! Pub Date Aug 06 2024

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This story makes for a cozy Fall read. A fun mystery for our littles to solve all while learning what different groups of animals are called. The illustrations are cute to boot.

Thanks to Sourcebooks and NetGalley for the eARC!

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One of my favorite children's books I've read recently.

The art style was very appealing and each group of animals had so much personality. The flow with the rhyming was also very nice, and would make a good read aloud.

I really liked the use of animal group names, some I hadn't heard before. I liked that the ending pages included notes about the animals and the groups names.

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A story set in the wintry wilderness follows groups of animals through a mysterious setting. This book teaches collective nouns for a variety of common North American animals.

The illustrations illustrate the book wonderfully and the type accompanies them beautifully (hats off to the publishing company for selecting this one!)
I would add this to my classrooom library to illustrate the idea of collective nouns in relation to naming groups. I think kids aged 7-12 would enjoy following along and learning through this title.

A digital ARC of this book was provided by the publisher in exchange for a review. A review was posted publicly on StoryGraph.

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I love the collective nouns for animals! This story used the names for the groups of animals in a really creative way. The story was a cute mystery.

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Did you know that a group of mice is called a mischief? Or a group of squirrels is called a scurry? These are just some of the terms that children will learn from this book. As autumn weather gets chillier, the squirrels go searching for their friends, the mice, and can find them nowhere. As they travel through the forest, searching, they meet a parliament of owls, a party of jays and many other groups of animal friends. This book would be a perfect addition to an early childhood classroom library, and would make a perfect read-aloud for story time.

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