Pistes d'exploration

Using the same cut paper collage technique, create your own picture using the shapes illustrated in the book.

Create your own shapes book. Brainstorm a list of additional shapes that could be included such as pentagons, hexagons, etc.

Create a 2D shapes chart. Count the number of shapes in the illustrations. Try sorting them in different ways.

Discuss how the mice outsmarted the cat. Why was the cat afraid of them? Would a real cat be fooled by 2D mice? 

As you read, identify the shapes and their colours (e.g. green triangle, orange square). Notice that the colour comes before the shape. 

Identify classroom objects with clearly identifiable shapes (e.g. the book is a rectangle, the clock is round). 

Use coloured sticker shapes to reproduce objects or animals. Present your creations to a few classmates.

Prepare an anchor chart of English words for all the shapes.

First Shapes in Buildings, Which Is Round? Which Is Bigger?, I Am Blop!, Tell Me About Colors, Shapes, and Opposites, Shaping Up Summer

Mots-clés

Picture book , cats , creativity , illustrations (collage) , mice , shapes

Commentaire descriptif

Fred, Violet and Martin are three little mice on the run from a cat. They hide in a colourful pile of shapes, and once their predator has disappeared, they decide to play. A square with a triangle on top becomes a house; a triangle and rectangle make a tree. A circle is a sun. When they get adventurous and fashion a fish, Violet warns: “Watch out – the cat likes fish,” And sure enough, the cat comes back. They decide to make “three big, scary mice” to frighten it away. Their ploy is a success, and they build themselves a big block of Swiss cheese for lunch! This simple story told through cut paper collage illustrations in primary colours features sweet dialogue exchanges between the mice. Images are framed in black outline on white backgrounds with a clear, well-chosen font for text. Readers will enjoy spotting the differences between the “real” and “paper” mice and cats, as they are all made of the same medium, in slightly different styles. This concept book, focused on learning shapes and getting creative with them, tells a playful tale and invites the reader to relate to the endearing mouse characters along the way.