I'm a Little Mouse: A Touch & Feel Book

Little Mouse is lost. As he searches for his mother, he greets several animals by saying: ``I have fuzzy gray fur / and a long pink tail / I'm a little mouse. / Are you a mouse too?'' Each new answer to Little Mouse's question yields a description of another animal depicted on the page. At last, Little Mouse encounters a creature that does have fuzzy gray fur and a long pink tail, when he is happily reunited with his mother. David Carter's ( How Many Bugs in a Box? ; What's in the Deep Blue Sea? ) tactile art allows children to feel textures that are clever simulations of, among other things, a fish's ``slippery shiny skin'' and a bear's ``long shaggy hair.'' The vivid colors and simple outlines of the illustrations will be helpful to children beginning shape and animal recognition. Noelle Carter's picture book debut offers a bouncy, frequently alliterative text that begs to be read aloud. Intrigued by this bright concept book, preschoolers will want to touch the mouse and his perky pals again and again. Ages 2-4. (Feb.)