It is about the smallest mouse that is wrapped up in cottonwool by his mum so that nothing happens to him, yet he goes on to have an adventure.

Colin the smallest mouse wants to play outside with his brothers and sisters but is told to stay inside.However, the cotton wool actually ends up being the problem, as he gets chased, pecked at and soaked through as a result of his new protection. A great story about a little mouse named Colin, who compared to his brothers and sisters, was very small indeed. But what about the picture book that contains a subtle, understated, sly little message, not for children, but for their parents instead? Go through the shelves of your local library and you'll eventually find some didactic tract (nine times out of ten written by a celebrity) that is trying to teach kids this lesson or that lesson with varying degrees of success. As well as his own books, he has illustrated books for authors such as Roald Dahl, Paula Danziger and Michael Palin.

If she hadn't wrapped him in cotton then he wouldn't have been mistaken for a snowball, a piece of delicious bread, or a fat white rabbit. By using the Web site, you confirm that you have read, understood, and agreed to be bound by the Terms and Conditions. Cottonball Colin comes to you directly from the loony team of Brits responsible for such books as Misery Moo and the infamous Tadpole's Promise. A sweet story that helps children see why parents can be so protective, and that we may need to prove to our parents over time that we can be independent. A little message, not too subtly brought home, but it's in the nature of a fable so it doesn't bother us, and the ending is very empowering to the child reader.When grandma suggests they wrap him up in cotton before allowing him to venture out on his own, Colin goes along with it to get out of the stifling house. This book is perfect for a graduate and/or the protective parent such as myself, and was thinking to myself while reading that I could soooo relate to what was written about the mama mouse. So small that his Mom only agrees to allow him outside into the great big world if she can wrap him in cottonwool. Like for example for me I thought I was not strong enough to work on a steam engine but when I fired it and ran it every time I got a chance to I did better and better and learned more. Due to his size his mother did not like him adventuring out in case he got hurt, until they came up with a plan and wrapped him all up with cotton wool, so not to get hurt.

As for the writing itself, Willis has a sweet straightforward style that keeps this book from sounding like anything more than a really cool story. Ross's style has some similarities to Emma Chickchester Clark here, but there are edgier elements at work. This is a story about a kid who ends the book by walking off into the sunset to find his own way, dangers all around. There stands Colin, happy as you please, and there's his mother, staring at an acorn as if it was the sword of Damocles incarnate.

Multi-award-winning Tony Ross has become one of the best-known creators of original and traditional picture books and his work has been published all over the world. The story is really better suited to the overprotective parents than children, but both groups will get something out of this. But soon enough he realizes that the cotton is a bit more of a hindrance than anyone could have imagined. I do not find that it is something that a child could really get into, but I would still recommend to give as a gift to those who are getting ready to explore and/or for those who may fear the exploration that their child is preparing to endure. As Colin has adventures throughout the day he loses bits of his cotton here and there but he survives!

Jena: “Trust them because one day they’ll get older and they won’t know how to take care of themselves. His mother refuses to let him play outside with his brothers and sisters unless he is wrapped in a big fluffy ball of cotton wool. Tony’s books have been shortlisted for the The Laugh Out Loud Book Awards ( Slug Needs a Hug) and the Kate Greenaway ( Dr Xargle's Book of Earth Tiggers), and Tadpole’s Promise won the Silver Medal Smarties Prize. Looking like nothing so much as a fluffy white sphere, the little mouse promptly gets thrown and chased about, all because of his bright white, easy to spot, covering. Join our community to get personalised book suggestions, extracts straight to your inbox, 10% off RRPs, and to change children’s lives.She won't let him outside because she fears that he will get hurt--after all, he's a very small mouse. I think this book would be a more approprete for 3rd and 4th graders due to the concept of the book about the mouse growing up and being able to go out and faceing to the big wide world. This entry was posted in Picture Book Love and tagged favourite illustrators, fiction, Jeanne Willis, making connections, picture books, Tony Ross by carriegelson.