MIA'S MOUSES

A little girl learns about irregular plural nouns with the help of a friendly teacher and some mouse companions in Licari’s illustrated children’s book.

Mia is a young girl with light-colored skin and brown hair who, while playing in her backyard, befriends three little mice she names Squeaky, Nibbles, and Speedy. She runs into a problem when she tries to collectively label them: “But something seemed funny, / even strange and surreal. / When she called her friends mouses, / was that right? What’s the deal?” After her friends and family tell her that the correct plural is mice, Mia runs to her teacher, Miss Jess, and asks her to explain the grammar rules. Miss Jess gives examples of regular plural nouns, then irregular ones (like person to people), moving on to plurals that don’t change at all (like deer). With her newfound knowledge, Mia gains the confidence to speak correctly and help others with irregular plural nouns. The book maintains a consistent ABCB rhyme scheme throughout, with only occasional variances (such as an ABCDB rhyme scheme used when explaining that some plural nouns remain unchanged). For those who want to delve further into the subject, there is a companion volume, Mia’s Mouses Workbook & Coloring Book, to reinforce the lessons. While Nieto’s illustrations themselves are quite flat, with boldly colored two-dimensional characters and backgrounds, there are instances when the artist cleverly weaves the text into the pictures themselves. For example, the rule for plural nouns (“For most words it’s simple / add an ‘es’ or ‘s’/ but not all are like this, some more and some less”) is written on the actual chalkboard in Miss Jess’ classroom. This adds a fun interactive element to the story. The rhymes themselves are catchy but extremely simple, making them age-appropriate for kids at the Pre-K to kindergarten level. With only four to eight lines per page, young audiences will likely breeze right through the material and learn an important grammar rule along the way.

A quick, whimsical way to introduce irregular plural nouns to a young audience.