Easy instructions help young sewers make Mouse, his clothes, and all his friends. But that's just the start of at the adventure. This book has a story too! Mouse becomes a world traveler, meeting elephants and snakes in Africa, find bunnies to pull his sled in the South Pole. He even soars up to outer space in a spaceship. Step-by-step instructions guide kids in creating not only Mouse, but all the crazy characters, accessories, and vehicles he encounters. American Sewing Guild Notions Magazine, February 2015 A look back at 2014 best crafts books - For playful adults and children adept with a sewing machine, there's also This Is Mouse: An Adventure in Sewing (C&T Publishing), by Brenna Maloney, which includes amusing instructions for making the character Mouse and others (Elephant, Whale, Robot), along with accoutrements Mouse may need to go on safari, to the South Pole and into outer space. This is Maloney's fourth book aimed at the sewing-kid crowd.
Jennifer Forker Associated Press, December 2014 With two previous sewing books (Socks Appeal and Sock it to Me!) under her belt, Maloney is well positioned to create a worthwhile book on sewing for kids. Her effort is as charming as can be, combining clear instructions and adorable patterns with a series of stories about the titular protagonist. The book begins with a winning and short overview of sewing skills: "My editors tell me that it's very important that I teach you the proper words for things," she writes. Then readers will learn how to make Mouse as well as a cast of other characters (snakes, penguins, aliens) who appear in a jungle, at the North Pole, and in space. While the instructions are shown in step-by-step photos, the projects still might require an adult's help. Maloney has cleverly designed projects that can be hand or machine-sewn, and that appear to be accessible to beginners. She notes at the beginning that the editors have allowed her to "write the books I always wanted to read." She's not alone; many other young sewists will want to read this one, too. Photographs, pattern pullouts. Publishers Weekly, 11/17/14