Wallace's Lists

As I grow older I am becoming so much like Wallace, not the list-making so much but the afraid of adventure characteristic. Even those this theme has been done a lot, I still like seeing new explorations of it. I don't think I'll ever be lucky enough to have a friend like Albert, but I do agree that a crisis brings out the best in me. And I like the idea of creating a list after the fact. (Maybe, for example, creating a list in the evening of what got done, instead of a to-do list?)

Wallace was a mouse that loved to create TO-DO list. His method to living his life was that if he didn’t put it on the list then it was off limits. He made lists for everything, from his clothes in his closets so he could get dressed in the dark, to places that had funny names. A new mouse had come into the neighborhood and moved right next to Wallace; the new mouse, named Albert was completely different from Wallace. He loved not planning anything, and what he loved most of all was getting lost. He had told Wallace that getting lost was a true sign on a real adventure. Wallace wanted to be more like his new friend Albert but was scared of all the outcomes that would come with things changing in his life. This short story was the show more cutest story; Wallace is such a cute mouse in the story. The story lets children know two important things within this story. They are that not everybody likes the same thing, that some people don’t handle change well and the other one is that just because change can and does occur, it does not mean that you should be scared of accepting the change. show less

Wallace is a nerdy little mouse who does whatever is on his list...and that's all. Ho has lists for everything: his clothes, pets he'd like, favorite stories, etc. The story meets Albert. As much as Wallace is used to the order his lists provide, Albert is more of a fly-by-the-seat-of-his-pants kind of mouse. The two of them have some adventures together, but Wallace is always on the alert with his lists. By the end of the story, they have become friends...or, according to Wallace's latest list, best friends. This is a cute story about how two mice--or people--can be so different but use those differences to build a friendship by being complement to each other. This story would be a nice inspiration for having kids write lists about show more favorite or familiar things and compare with others to see how different their lists might be. Students could learn a lot about each other and a teacher could learn a lot about the students. show less

I gave this book 5 stars because it had great sequencing and my kids really enjoyed it and thought it was funny.

Devoted to making lists about everything in his life, Wallace the mouse discovers the joys of spontaneity and adventure when he becomes friends with his neighbor Albert.

A great book to read with kids who don't like unexpected changes in schedules and routines.