"Miss Mouse's Day," by Jan Ormerod (HarperCollins, $14.95, ages 2 and up).

"Miss Mouse's Day," by Jan Ormerod (HarperCollins, $14.95, ages 2 and up).
A day of child's play is the theme of "Miss Mouse's Day." In gingham and tulle, lipstick and jam, the long-limbed Miss Mouse is the little girl's favorite stuffed toy. In Ormerod's exuberant, pencil-and-watercolor drawings in orange, pink, purple, and yellow, the two friends play dress-up, have snacks and paint together. They play in the sand and mud until they are totally happy messes. Miss Mouse faithfully records the day in short, simple sentences: "I like lipstick best." When the girl's mother comes to take the playmates in for a bath, Miss Mouse is almost overlooked. Rescued from the mud pile, she is relieved to be washed clean and dry. The two sleepyheads, now ready for bed, enjoy quiet games, a story and goodnight kisses from mommy and daddy. Miss Mouse's perfect day has ended.
"The Mouse That Snored" by Bernard Waber. (Houghton Mifflin, $15, ages 4-8).
Learning to live together is the lesson in "The Mouse That Snored."
"The quiet man, the quiet woman, the quiet cat and bird, ate their dinner, sipped their drink, and never spoke a word." At night, the cat, Mose, slept quietly in a chair, the couple slept in their bed and the bird, a colorful parrot, slept on his perch. There was not even a sneeze or a cough.
One night, a mouse crept into the quiet house, feasted on some cheese, and fell into an exhausted sleep. The shocked household was startled awake by an unfamiliar sound: "His snores were roars with whistling encores. And each snore was louder than the snore before." The snores caused pans to rattle, fishbowls to churn, shutters to open and furniture to dance about the house. The family, roused from slumber, demanded quiet from the intrusive mouse, who spun a credible tale of being frightened and homeless. The sympathetic family agreed that he must live with them. The house was no longer quiet, but with some ingenuity, the family learned to accept the noisy newcomer.
Complementing the story are Waber's tongue-in-cheek drawings, which are appropriately loud and jarring or quiet and light.
"Maisy's Big Flap Book" by Lucy Cousins (Candlewick, $8.99, preschool).
Maisy the mouse has a busy day in "Maisy's Big Flap Book." The series' familiar, chunky, cartoon drawings and bold orange-and-red pages with striped borders help youngsters learn colors, shapes and concepts, including high and low. Maisy and her friends Charley, Cyril and Tallulah count flowers and bugs and sort out shapes and colors. They clean up their toys by matching shapes, work in the garden, and have some playground fun before they say goodbye.
Preschoolers will enjoy seeing the surprises behind the 36 big flaps. The sturdy book will allow repeated reading and play.
"Tiny Tales for Toddlers." (Balloon Books, $5.95).
Tiny the Mouse has tiny adventures in "Tiny Tales for Toddlers." In this red, blue, yellow and green cartoon-style board book, Tiny frolics in storyboard style. He swings high to get an apple, visits the zoo and celebrates a special day. Each page has a simple story told in six small pictures. Driving, visiting, traveling, flying, celebrating and other concepts are illustrated in simple sentences and simply charming illustrations. Each page ends with "Goodbye, Tiny. See you soon!"