The Pea Patch Jig by Thacher Hurd

Summary: 

 

Baby Mouse loves Farmer Clem's pea patch. As her parents prepare for their big party, she escapes from her bath and gets up past her bedtime to visit the pea patch. Color illustrations.

Release Date: April 1, 1995

Age Group: Preschool to Grade 1

Source: Review copy from publisher

Reviewed By: Kelli & Kaitlyn

Review:

The Pea Patch Jig is a sweet and funny book about a little mouse family who lives on a farm.  Kaitlyn and I enjoyed this book a lot!

Mother and Father Mouse have a daughter, Baby Mouse.  Baby Mouse is kind of mischievous and gets into trouble a couple of times throughout the story.  Mother and Father Mouse must rescue her, but in the end it's Baby Mouse who rescues her family from a dangerous predator.

Kaitlyn's favorite parts were quite funny: one scene where Grandfather Mouses's head gets stuck in a tomato (thanks to Baby Mouse kicking it down from the tomato plant) really got her laughing.  She also liked the part where the party occurs and every mouse dresses up and dances under the moon, actually doing the Pea Patch Jig.  

I loved the illustrations, which reminded me of watercolor paintings.  They were soft around the edges but still bright and engaging.  I did think that the book was a little too long.  I noticed Kaitlyn starting to lose interest towards the end of the story, then it ended and she told me how much she liked it.  So, I guess the length wasn't a deal-breaker for her. 

We enjoyed The Pea Patch Jig and would recommend this book!