Picture Book Review: The Mice of Bistrot des Sept Frères

Author: Marie Letourneau

Illustrator: Marie Letourneau

Age Range: 4 - 8 years

Grade Level: Preschool - 3

Hardcover: 32 pages

Publisher: Tanglewood Press (April 15, 2006)

Series: None

Genre: Picture book

Source: Publisher via NetGalley (thank you!)

My Rating: 4 of 5 stars

About the Book:

Thisstory serves up a delightful recipe for a children's book: take one adorable tale of Parisian mice who want to win the prize for the best cheese soup in France, add a full serving of the whimsical illustration sof Marie LeTourneau, mix in a dash of French language and a sprinkling of Parisian café culture, and voilà! We have The Mice of Bistrot des Sept Frères (Bistro of Seven Brothers).

With many basic French words cleverly woven into the story, readers will absorb the language without even realizing it. There is a pronunciation guide at the front of the book, and directions in the back to this website for the famous cheese soup recipe!

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About the Author/Illustrator:

 

Website

My Thoughts:

Don't you just love this cover? I love all the artwork in this book. It's very loose and free. The story is also very cute. It's about a family of mice that have to hurry and get their famous cheese soup ready for a taste tester who will determine who has the best soup in Paris. The seven sons keep dropping so many things, I couldn't help but think of how messy their kitchen would be. But thanks to Petite Michelle and her calm way of getting things done, they manage to pull off the soup just in the nick of time.

The story is cute, but the best part of this book is the artwork. The illustrations are lovely. They add a lot of personality to the story.

FOUR STARS