Book study: "Mice Skating"

New year, new post! This week, I'm taking a deep dive into a whimsical winter read about a little mouse who loves to ice skate. Snack and activity ideas are included!

Happy new year! I hope you had a wonderful Christmas and that your new year is off to a peaceful start. It feels good to be back writing this newsletter after a hiatus for most of December!

I have so much fun compiling this newsletter each week, and I’m so grateful to all of you for reading along. I’m excited to try out some new ideas in 2024, including guest posts and deeper dives into some of my kids’ favorite books.

This week, I’m trying out a deep dive into the truly adorable “Mice Skating” by Annie Silvestro. If your kids like cute critters, winter fun and a good cheese pun, this is your next January read. :)

In these “book studies,” I want to explore ways to bring picture books to life—and give you some ideas for fun activities to do with your little ones. Winter can be long and activities that keep your kids engaged scarce, so I hope these book studies will not only introduce you to fun new reads, but provide some ways for you and your littles to have fun reading and learning together. I will continue to provide my usual book lists, too! (Get ready for one next week.)

So without further ado, here we go into our first book study!

About the book:

• Title: “Mice Skating”

• Author: Annie Silvestro

• Illustrator: Teagan White

• Recommended age: 3+

• Synopsis: Lucy is a field mouse who loves winter, but her friends don’t. When she discovers ice skating, she wants to share it with her friends. She endeavors to win them over about winter—and she eventually succeeds! It is a whimsical celebration of winter and friendship.

“During the cold winter months, most field mice take cover … But not Lucy. She loved the feeling of new snow crunching under her paws. She loved how the frosty air made her whiskers freeze. And most of all, she loved wearing her fluffy wool hat with the pink pom-pom on top. It did more than keep her head warm. It kept her heart warm, too.”

Look a little closer:

Because they are studying the pictures while I’m focused on reading the words, my kids notice so many details in books that I do not. Here are two questions based on what my little ones noticed, but feel free to point out details yours might be intrigued by instead!

• What activities do Lucy’s friends do while they’re inside?

• Which mouse’s hat is your favorite?

Learn new words:

I love a good cheese pun, and this book is full of them! While they will likely sail past your little ones, my four year old did ask me what each type of cheese was, so it was a great learning opportunity.

Get ready to discuss:

• Cheddar

• Provolone

• Mozzarella

• Pecorino

• Gouda

My kids also liked the words “swizzle,” “twizzle” and “loop de loop.” Very technical figure skating terms, of course. :)

Have a conversation:

I often read to my kids while they eat breakfast and lunch, so I try to ask lots of questions during/after the book to keep them engaged and seated at the table. Here are some of the questions we chatted about after reading “Mice Skating”:

• What do you love about winter? What do you love about summer?

• If you were a mouse, would you want to hibernate like Lucy’s friends, or explore winter like Lucy?

• What indoor/outdoor winter activities are your favorite?

• Which activities do you like to do by yourself? Which do you like to do with friends?

• Have you ever tried something that was tricky at first, like Lucy and her friends learning to ice skate? What was it?

Make it an experience:

After you read the book (it doesn’t have to be the same day—we often read one book every day for a week and spend the whole week talking about it!), try some of these activities to bring the story to life:

• Make: Your own set of mouse-sized ice skates from pine needles, twigs and other materials you can find in your backyard. (This is a two-part activity: hunt for items outside, then bring them in to craft.)

• Eat: Cheese! Put together a plate of the cheeses mentioned in the book or types you know your kids will like. Add some fresh fruit, pretzels, pickles or deli meat to make a mini charcuterie board. Finish it off with warm mugs of hot chocolate.

• Do: Go outside! If you’re lucky enough to have some snow, partake in some of Lucy’s favorite activities: listen to the snow crunching under your feet, catch snowflakes on your tongue, make snow angels and snowmen, have a snowball fight and, of course, ice skate!

Please let me know what you think of this book study! Do you like a deep dive into one book? Are the conversation starters/activities things you would actually do with your little ones? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

I’ll have a book list of fun, winter-themed books next week. Until then, I’ll see you in the comments!

“I wonder if the snow loves the trees and the fields, that it kisses them so gently?”

—Lewis Carroll