What
happens if you give a mouse a cookie? This question is thoroughly answered in
the fun loving children’s story, If You
Give a Mouse a Cookie, written by Laura Numeroff and illustrated by Felicia
Bond. In this Analysis I am going to summarize and study the structure and
content of this story. It opens with a boy offering a cute little mouse a
cookie. The mouse does not hesitate to ask for more things to go with the
cookie, like a glass of milk, a straw, a napkin, or even a haircut. The story
unfolds, taking unexpected twists and turns, and after you are a page or so
into the story, you won’t be able to keep yourself from flipping to the next
page to see what kind of actions the mouse will cause next. The story is left
unconcluded when, at the end of the story (spoiler alert), the mouse just asks
for another cookie. This ending asks the question, how will the boy and the
mouse get out of this cycle? Leaving If
You Give a Mouse a Cookie unfinished gives the readers a chance to ponder a
good outcome for themselves, instead of being given a perfect conclusion.
Author Numeroff shows how even a seemingly simple task may end up being more
complicated than you originally thought. She also teaches the importance of
setting limits, even on a good deed.
The use of good diction, sentence structure, and
tone help determine the quality of a storybook. The voice of the book If You Give A mouse a cookie is very
playful and to the point, which makes it fun, and accessible for young children
who are learning to read. Numeroff tells us what the mouse will do, without a
doubt, in a quick matter-of-fact voice. This simplistic style not only adds
more character to the book, but the short sentences, and basic word choice make
it easier for kids to sound out by themselves. The format of the book is also
very well done. The Illustrations are beautiful, and very descriptive. For
example the emotions of the boy and the mouse are not even mentioned once in
the story; you can only see the boys growing tiredness by the expression drawn
on his face. Really seeing the story unfold makes the story more engaging where
as just describing a scene, could make the story flat or too complicated. The
illustrations also helped show the transition from the boy as the main
character to the mouse as the main character. In the beginning of the story,
the boy is drawn as the main focus on the page, while the mouse is quite small,
but as the book goes on the mouse is drawn bigger as it begins to take over the
boy’s life. Also, quite often in the story, half of a sentence is on one page
of the book, and then the end of the sentence is on the next page. This adds a
suspenseful edge to the reading experience, as the reader has to turn the page
to quickly see what happens next. The tone of the book is also very ironic. The
witty antics between the mouse, and the exasperated little boy seem so silly
and ridiculous in storybook form, but surprisingly this book seems to describe
a common relationship issue that most people face in their everyday lives.
Readers will catch themselves smiling because the issues that can be so
complicated in real life can be put so plainly in a children’s book. The book
works from the bias that all mice will most definitely act as the mouse in this
story did; this is, of course, a silly over-exaggeration, but it gives the book
a laid-back and informal feel, which makes the tone welcoming. This is a simple
and fun story with a great moral that audiences young and old can enjoy.
The uses of literary devices in If you Give a Mouse a Cookie give it a
rhythmic quality. One of these literary devices is the use of repetition. Repetition
is not only stylistically appealing, but it also helps get across the storyline
in a much more engaging and notable way. The mood that is created by the usage
of repetition cannot be achieved through any other device. It makes even a
simple sentence sound like a dramatic one, and it enhances the beauty of a
sentence by stressing the main point of significance. Repetition often uses
words of the same family to express the ideas and emotions in a sentence in an
indirect manner. The beauty of reading a piece with repetition in it is the
rhythmic balance it creates, while also drawing its readers to the points
containing the underlying meanings.
Repetition is a literary device that often works hand in hand with
parallelism. This technique adds
symmetry, effectiveness and balance to the written piece. This makes it easier
to get into the story, and also keeps the sentences easier to read, which is
great for young readers. The words all work very well together, and each
sentence flows well into the next. You can see this quality even in the first
couple sentences, “If you give a mouse a cookie, he’s going to ask for a glass
of milk. When you give him a glass of milk, he’ll probably ask you for a
straw.” The elements of the sentences were often grammatically similar,
identical in structure, sound, or meter making the impact profound and crisp.
Personification was also used effectively in the story. The character of a
mouse in children’s story is often known to be cute, playful and innocent which
makes this mouse the perfect character for his role in “If You Give A Mouse a
Cookie.” Personification also adds an imaginative quality to the story. The
mouse is a fun and furry creature that can get away with what he does, because
he’s just so small and seemingly innocent.
Over all, the Numeroff is very effective in telling
her story. She demonstrates that when someone sets out to do one thing, the
situation often turns out to be more complicated; even a seemingly simple good
deed, like sharing a cookie. The adorable, yet needy mouse is slowly
overwhelming his helpful friend, the boy. The boy is helping the mouse
willingly, but the audience cannot help but feel sorry for the him because he
sacrifices too much of his time and energy for the well-being of the mouse. It
teaches the importance of setting limits, even on being nice. Telling this
message through a narrative voice in storybook form was a very good choice for
the author. The mouse and the boy are in a dilemma relatable to all ages.
Seeing this type of problem in a light and funny atmosphere as portrayed in the
book, simplifies the issue, which can make it more understandable and easier to
spot and fix. It was very important that the author didn’t put any blame on the
mouse or the boy. Both characters were causing a lot of trouble for each other,
but they were both equally innocent in the actions, or lack there of. Hopefully
with the life lessons taught in the story, people can recognize them in their
own lives and grow from them! A young audience allows the writer to write a
contagiously fun yet simplistic story with a moral and life lesson that all
readers can understand and learn from.
