ALA Booklist

On the dust jacket, four sporty mice warn readers that a beast hovers between the covers. The story continues on the opening endpapers and an important visual clue occurs on the title page. As the four explore a dark, dark house, each page introduces a new color and takes them closer to the beast, who emerges from a dark green bottle and flies away with the brave mice in pursuit. A rhymed narrative tells the story along the top of the pages, with the mice commenting in rhymed conversation as they move through the adventure. The the silly resolution will appeal to young children. Ironically, a real monster appears on the endpapers. Kellogg's lively ink-and-watercolor art strikes just the right note for the gently suspenseful story. The rich repetitive language and the introduction of numbers and colors make this appropriate for classroom use. The parallel structure, buoyant tone, and clever details--reminiscent of Peggy Rathmann's 10 Minutes till Bedtime (1998)--ensure more than one reading. Beastly good fun! (Reviewed September 15, 1999)

Horn Book

Four mice find a beast "in a dark, dark wood" but quickly discover that it is only a mechanical monster created by their friends. The rhyming text alternates between helping the slightly eerie story progress and silly asides about the colors the mice see around them. These side comments keep the story geared to toddlers who long to be scared but not too scared.

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

Four wide-eyed mice enter a dark, dark house in a dark, dark wood, in this not-so-scary tale that also teaches colors. "A high-spirited balance of concept book and adventure tale," noted <EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">PW. Ages 3-7.<EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">(Sept.)

School Library Journal

PreS-K A wonderful collaboration by a talented pair. Their tale happens in "a dark, dark wood," but ends in a silly, silly way. Four mice explore a "dark, dark house" and find (in a dark purple cupboard) a dark green bottle holding a yellow-eyed monster that escapes, sending the mice fleeing. Large-print rhyming text appears at the top of each page; the story is embellished by the mice, who expand upon the narrative in bubble captions, also in rhyme. The initial tone is a little ominous, but the little critters seem too nice to have anything really bad happen to them. Observant children may note the clue in the endpaper the delivery van for "Nick's Tricks and Hank's Pranks," complete with a logo of two big yellow eyes. As if scariness and rhyming text weren't enough to guarantee success, the authors toss in some color naming. All of the elements add up to a picture book with plenty of appeal. Lap listeners will enjoy lingering on the ample details, and the book's size and the story's rhythm are perfect for sharing. The relatively intense color palette and simple settings will allow children at the back of the group to enjoy the pictures, too. Kellogg's trademark animals and his ability to create action on a page are well in evidence. This one is sure to be a hit. Pat Leach, Lincoln City Libraries, NE Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.