Reviews for Night house, bright house
School Library Journal
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PreS-Gr 2?As 10 mice and a cat run through a house at night, the objects in each room comment on the chase. Each two-page spread includes a full-page illustration of a room facing a page of rhyming text: "`Move on,' said the swan," "`Run,' said the bun." The last word of each line is illustrated with a rebus picture that will encourage young readers to complete the sentence. Done in gouache, watercolors, and colored pencils, the slightly abstract illustrations are filled with geometric shapes, vivid primary colors, and plenty of detail conveying the frenetic activity, such as mice unrolling toilet paper and swinging on a chandelier. Reminiscent of Polly Cameron's I Can't Said the Ant (Putnam, 1961; o.p.), this is a fun read that could also be used in a story-hour setting.?Christine A. Moesch, Buffalo & Erie County Public Library, NY (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Book list
From Booklist, Copyright © American Library Association. Used with permission.
Ages 2^-5. Mice and a cat chase around in a house at night, and the objects in each room wake up and talk. "`Get ready,' said the spaghetti . . . `Gobbledygook,' said the book." Very young kids will love the music of these funny rhymes, but the pictures are far too busy and confusing for the audience. On the left side of each double-page spread is a packed picture of the room; on the right is the rhyming text, with a picture of an object in the words of each line: "`Leave things alone,' said the phone," and there's a small picture of a telephone. It's a great idea, and the words are a delight, especially the unforced nonsense rhymes, but this is a case where much, much less would be more. "`What a clutter,' said the butter." --Hazel Rochman
Publishers Weekly
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A tabby and 10 mischievous mice scamper through a house in Wellington's (Night Rabbits) slight yet buoyant offering. In each room, toys, furniture and other inanimate objects offer a sing-song, rhyming commentary on the animals' goings-on: " `What a mess,' said the dress./ `They'll clean up,' said the cup." The text is presented in rebus-like format, with the images appearing alongside, rather than in place of, the corresponding word. Though occasionally clever, the rhymes are in other instances irrelevant (" `Yakety-yak,' said the sack") or forced (" `Phony-baloney,' said the macaroni"). The art, on the other hand, is inventive and consistently diverting. Intentionally flat, the brightly hued illustrations present a cheerful clutter of knickknacks and playthings. In each scenario, preschoolers can locate the items mentioned (and pictured) on the opposing page and check out the antics of the tireless mice, who sometimes find comical hiding places. A bonus for adult readers: Wellington decorates the walls of her bustling house with playful knockoffs of well-known paintings. Ages 2-5. (Feb.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Kirkus
Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
In a cavalcade of interior scenes and columns of precise rhymes, Wellington (Night Rabbits, 1995, etc.) once again finds that the wee hours are not so quiet for scampering nocturnal animals. All night long, mice tear through the house where the only human seen is a sleeping girl. Under whimsical headings such as ``Racing, Chasing in the Kitchen'' and ``Dashing, Splashing in the Bathroom,'' the mice careen through rooms while their shenanigans are related in an extraordinary text, composed entirely of lists of rhyming exclamations by the objects pictured: `' `What a mess,' said the dress. `They'll clean up,' said the cup. . . . `Fat chance,' said the pants.'' Some of the rhymes are wildly funny to read aloud and are sure to become familiar phrases in households that adopt this irresistible book, which ends at dawn and bedtime for the mice. The pictures are composed of bold, clear forms, perfectly executed by an artist whose talent is as sure as her design sense. Layers upon layers of objects, decor, and action remain uncluttered as the mice make a mess of everything. Parodies of masterpieces hang on the walls, while each line of text ends with a spot drawing of the object being quoted. To rave about typefaces and graphically tidy borders would detract from the original and compelling content. (Picture book. 2-5)
Horn Book
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Fiction: PS As a cat and some mice run through the rooms in a house, different objects in each room provide commentary. The illustrations encourage hunting for the objects named in the text, and little ones will enjoy predicting the final rhyming word in each line, since each is illustrated rebus-style. The busy, brightly colored illustrations provide a fertile field for pre-reader fun, though adults may tire of the repetitive format. Horn Rating: Recommended, with minor flaws. Reviewed by: sg (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
