Bravo, Bucket Head! is cleverly written by Helen Lester and delightfully illustrated by Lynn Munsinger. The heroine of this teachable picture book is little Mousetta. She is a very shy mouse who decides to walk backwards so that she will not see or be seen by others.
Mousetta thinks she knows who the “popular” mice are in her community. Jazz is dressed in a bomber jacket and cool sunglasses. Star is wearing a yellow tutu and Awesome, a sports dude, is wearing a jersey with a capital A for Awesome on it.
One day shy Mousetta decides to sign up for Dr. Gladpaw’s Outgoing Workshop. However, she decides to wear a bucket on her head when she attends. There she meets three others who have also covered their eyes and face----one is wearing a lamp shade, another is wearing a wastebasket and a third is wearing a blanket! It turns out that these are the very same three mice she thought were outgoing and super popular. Lesson one is: What we see doesn’t always tell the whole story.
When the shy friends go out for a walk, they hear a siren go off with a warning: “Foxes in the area! Run and take cover!” Mousetta courageously pulls the bucket up and away from her face and shouts to the others to “CHARGE” and they do! The illustration of the foxes running away is full of visual fun.
At the end of the book there is also a two-page illustration of a parade honoring Mousetta for her bravery that readers 4-8 years of age will enjoy. A large banner says “Bravo, Bucket Head” as she herself leads the parade---- this time without the bucket on her head. (Atheneum Books for Young Readers/ an imprint of Simon and Schuster, 2022).
The Children’s Bookshelf is a production of WCMU. Links to the podcast and the Activity Questions can be found at Children’s Bookshelf dot org.
Activity Questions for Bravo Bucket Head
Have you ever been too shy to say hello to others? Have you ever been too shy to speak in front of a class? Think about this and if you were shy make a list of those times. How did you feel? Draw a picture of your shy self.
These “speak up and speak out” exercises will help you keep your voice strong. Speaking effectively so people can hear you and react to your ideas is important. Open your mouth, take a deep breath, and project your voice while saying the following statements out loud to a new child in your neighborhood or a new child on the school playground: Hello! What’s your name? My name is Sue Ann. Is this your first day here? Do you have any brothers or sisters? Would you like to play on the swings? Would you like to share my candy bar?
From your bedroom project your voice so the rest of the family who are in the kitchen getting breakfast on the table can hear you: Mom, I can’t find my tennis shoes! Dad, would you please make me some French toast? Little brother of mine, have you been playing with my computer again? Oh my, is that the bus already?
