This book can support active learning and the construction of knowledge by modeling it through the actions and words of the mice.

The Something is as sturdy as a pillar, supple as a snake, wide as a cliff…but altogether the Something is…an elephant!” (Young, 1992). Each mouse is limited by their own experiences, and it isn’t until they all begin to listen to each other’s ideas that they can begin to understand the true identity of the Something. Each mouse, though blind, imagines that it knows what the mysterious object by the pond is and that its color matches their own.Īnother important concept that Seven Blind Mice helps readers think about is the concept of the social construction of knowledge. The mice begin their exploration of the Something on a Monday, and by Sunday, the mystery is solved. Readers must count each mouse’s turn in order and pay attention to phrases such as, “The fourth was…,” “…the fifth to go,” and “…the seventh mouse…” It could also be considered a concept book, teaching the important concepts of color and the days of the week.

This picture book is a counting book that allows for personal discovery, using words like first, second, third, etc. They each believe it is something different, and cannot agree on what it could be, until the wise white mouse is able to use all of their ideas to discover the mystery of the Something. Each of the first six rainbow-hued mice approaches a strange Something that they’ve found by their pond. Young’s award-winning Seven Blind Mice is based on an ancient Indian fable.

His latest illustrated work, Mighty Moby by Barbara DaCosta, was published in 2017. His long career includes more than 80 works for children. He has written and illustrated children’s books since 1962. at age twenty to study architecture, and later, art. Born and raised in China, he moved to the U.S. Written and Illustrated by Ed Young, Caldecott Medal winner, picture book, fictionĮd Tse-chun Young, age 87, has received more than 50 awards and honors for his work as an author and illustrator of children’s literature.

Seven blind mice book