Squeak!

PreS-Gr 1–Early one morning, under the periwinkle sky of dawn, a soft breeze causes a young mouse to awaken with a squeak.The squeak stirs the chipmunks, who then surprise the trout. The splashing of the trout wakes an elk who bumps the tree of an eagle. The flap of eagle wings awakens the bear cubs whose chatter alerts a pack of wolves. Their howls echo to the cliffs of the bighorn sheep, whose movement causes rocks to tumble to the fields of the enormous bison. All of this commotion awakens the rest of the animals in the valley and a cacophony of sounds ensues. Little mouse is confused by all of the noise and sleepily wonders why everyone is up so early before happily drifting back off to sleep. This adorable circular story for young readers is a great way to start or end the day with a little humor. The pattern of cause and effect will intrigue young listeners and they will eagerly wonder what will happen next. The diversity of animals is robust and the onomatopoeia of their animal sounds is enjoyable and fun to say aloud. The many shades of blue and green expertly depict the early morning landscape of the beautiful mountainous region. The vocabulary used in the text is rich and will expose early readers to new words.