Another one of my favorite Little Critter books! 24 A classic Critter story. Reminds me I have to begin to teach my three year old what to do if he ever gets lost (Side note: Find a toy store!). 24 These books are always a hit with my little one. 24 This is an excellent book for kids to read. I have always been a huge fan of all of the Mercer Mayer books and this one is no exception. Little Critter gets separated in the mall from his mom and siblings as it is really busy. This book teaches kids a good lesson in what to do when you get separated from someone you are with. Little Critter goes to find a worker to help him locate his family. I think this book could also help with fears students may have when they get separated from whom they are with. It also has a sense humor for the kids because Little Critter states that Mom was lost at the mall!! instead of saying he was lost. At the end, Little Critter also says that since his mom looked super worried that he was braver than his mom. Many kids will find this humorous in the book and really enjoy it. The illustrations are also something in which I think kids would really enjoy. Every page is filled with many different drawings that would interest the students. 24 Cute little read with a good lesson, while still being funny and light. I love Little Critter’s little mouse that follows him everywhere. He is hands down the best part of the book! 24
This isn't among my favorite Little Critter books, but it does lend itself to a conversation about what a child should do when he/she is lost. (Note: Little Critter's experience might seem fun to a young reader.) 24 The Little Critter series mostly consist of short stories about a child whose ordinary experiences young readers will identify with. Many of them are useful for introducing new (and potentially frightening) scenarios to young readers. In this one, Little Critter gets separated from his mother and brother at the mall, so he finds a clerk in a store to have his mother paged. The story is narrated by Little Critter who tells of his experiences with sly irony-- he reports to the clerk, My mom is lost! and when he is reunited with his family, he declares, I knew she was glad I found them. Children will enjoy this humorous perspective, which lightens the fear that accompanies Little Critter's vulnerable situation.
We have used the Little Critter books to prepare our children for new experiences, and this one in particular is helpful because Little Critter does exactly what a lost child should do: he finds a woman with a name tag, working behind a cash register, who introduces him to a security guard wearing a uniform. Not only does this book prepare a child for the emotional challenges of being lost, it also provides an example of what to do, and introduces the kinds of people most likely to protect and help a lost child. The story quality is good, but not exceptional, so I recommend reading this book a few times until the lesson is learned, and then phasing it out. 24 A cute take on being lost at the mall, from the kids point of view. Our four year old loved this one, and wanted to read it two nights in a row before bed 24 I think may children fear getting lost and almost every parents fears losing their children. This would be a good book to read to introduce that topic and help children know that when they are lost they will be found. It can start the conversation on what should your child do if they are lost. It would be a good conversation to have regularly. 24 It's just as scary for a Little Critter's mother to get lost in a noisy, bustling mall as it is for a Little Critter to do so, as we see in this entertaining and comforting collaboration by the esteemed writing team of Gina and Mercer Mayer. Strolling among hundreds of friendly strangers doesn't feel so frightening when you have a parent to guide you, but being stranded by yourself in that crowd can feel awfully lonesome. Just Lost! sees Little Critter through to the light at the other end of his harrowing ordeal, where he and his family happily emerge together. It also shows young readers the right things to do if they, themselves, ever end up lost.
Little Critter's mother has plenty to distract her when she, Little Critter, and his younger sister and brother visit the shopping mall. Little Critter intends on adhering to his mother's instructions to stay by her side, but a brief stop to tie his shoelaces by himself is enough to separate them, and now Little Critter has no idea what to do. Rather than be so overwhelmed by fear that he just sits and cries, he makes tracks to the sales clerk at a nearby toy shop. The friendly clerk knows what to do, getting hold of security so a guard can lead Little Critter to his office. A short time later our lost Little Critter is reunited with his worried family, after a mostly painless experience in which everyone involved did exactly what they were supposed to. Little Critter was even allowed to play with the merchandise at the toy shop as he waited for the security guard, and later on the guard let him wear his uniform hat and explore the items in the lost and found. Getting lost wasn't so bad, but I think Little Critter will be more careful in the future to stick with his parents when he's in a busy place. After all, Mom just hates getting lost at the mall.
Mercer Mayer's Little Critter series is the real deal when you're talking legendary American picture books. The man never runs out of ideas, and all of them are done warmly and imaginatively. Just Lost! is vintage Mercer Mayer, and I recommend it. 24
When Little Critter stops to tie his shoelace at the crowded mall, he loses sight of his mother and is taken to the security office where he waits for his mother to be found. Just Lost! (A Golden Look-Look Book)