Ellen Stoll Walsh

Ellen Stoll Walsh's books seem simple when you first look at them. But they are filled with important lessons.

Mouse Paint - A great lesson on the importance of planning ahead.

Mouse Count - A great lesson on cooperation and problem-solving and keeping your head in a tough situation.

Hop, Jump - There's room enough for all of us if we just cooperate.

Mrs. Walsh came from a large family (ten children in all.) Perhaps thats where she first learned the lessons she now teachs in her books. She also says that "no matter how nice the pictures are, if a story is not well thought out, an editor will not take it." That is a good lesson for all writers.

She does have great pictures. They seem simple and yet they show the characters movement and feelings. She put bright colors next to each other and that "catches" our eyes.

Here is a place for you to draw simple characters. Try using very bright colors and see how yours turn out.

Try this Mouse Paint experiment of mixing colors. Put on your grubbiest clothes. Have a grown-up mix water with red, blue, or yellow food coloring. Take the whole mess outside and mix the colors to see what you come up with. If you can find an old white cloth that no one wants you can record your results to save for later. Don't try this in the den or on the dining room table. Your parents will cream me!

And don't forget to write about how things went.

Here are books by Ellen Stoll Walsh.