Miss Mouse's Day

Ormerod's (Who's Whose) buoyant, paneled pictures propel this storybook about a mouse doll and her girl owner who start the morning with a cuddle in bed. The minimal text narrated by Miss Mouse offers a breezy commentary on the day's activities. Diverting visual details abound as the girl and her mouse eat breakfast, draw pictures, don dress-up clothes, eat lunch al fresco, play a variety of games outdoors and finally prepare for bed. Ormerod's spontaneous narrative is composed largely of brief phrases and comical asides. For example, a trio of images of the childDwith Miss Mouse riding on her shouldersDrunning, slipping and falling in mud accompany the pleasingly onomatopoeic words, ""Whee! Oops. SPLAT!"" The text also provides deadpan contrast to the artwork as when, in a series of panels, Miss Mouse becomes separated from the girl on the slide and ends up nose first on the ground: ""I'm a very fine slider.../ mostly."" Ample picture clues and simple vocabulary make this a solid choice for children just beginning to sound out words. They'll be quite content to spend the day with the amiable Miss Mouse and her sidekick. Ages 2-up. (Feb.)