Title: Country Mouse and City Mouse
Author: Based on an Aesop’s Fable. App by McGraw-Hill
Illustrator: Joyce Hesselberth
Age: preschool, elementary school
Description: A mouse that lives in the city visits a mouse friend who lives in the country. Although they both enjoy the visits, they long for their familiar homes.
• Perspective taking
• Trying new experiences
• Managing the unexpected
• Being kind even if you don’t like someone else’s ideas or things
Why I like this book: I have always liked this story and recently discovered that it is also available as a sweetly illustrated e-book which did not disappoint! I remember reading this book or hearing it read to me when I was very young and was intrigued by how different the city and country environments were from one another. I enjoyed seeing the various activities each mouse shared with the other. I love this book today for the same reasons!
Ideas for use:
• Great story to read before a play date. Talk with your child about the fact that their friend has had different experiences and may have different ideas about play.
• Play a game called “If You Like” with a group of children after reading the story. For example, “If you like snow, jump to the wall”. Discuss and affirm differences as well as similarities.
• This is a great story to act out. Split the group into Country and City mice and have them use materials around the room as props and sets. Have them invite the other group over to visit. The visiting mice will need to follow the lead of the “home” mice and then switch.
• Acting out the story provides a wealth of opportunity to experience movement, deep muscle input and tactile sensations. Rolling down a hill, sliding over ice, and climbing up a tree are a few of the actions that can be mimicked.
• The e-book presents different sounds for the country and the city. Discuss and explore sensory input that can be experienced through the senses in each setting. For example, traffic noises can be heard in the city and birds chirping in the country. You might find bakery smells in the city and smell flowers in the country.
• Split the kids into 2 groups and have each group create sets for either the Country or the City. Then have the kids write a script and make sock puppets for a puppet show.
• Lots of downloadable worksheets and more ideas for use are available on line. Here are just a few:
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Submitted by: Jill Perry, MHA, MS, OTR/L
*Like this review and activities? Check out the Social Adventures App for more activities for children.