English 110 --Initial Assignment

The Power of "If"

Whenever you happen to find a book that begins with the word “if” you can be certain that you’re in for an interesting adventure. Laura Joffe Numeroff’s classic children’s story If You Give a Mouse a Cookie is no exception to these expectations. As one of the first books I can remember ever reading, it sparked my long enjoyment of reading that has definitely impacted the person I am today.

Other than just introducing me to books, this story instilled important information into my brain –that you always need to eat a cookie with a glass of milk. What could possibly be more relevant to a little kid than having an adult author give you expert cookie-consuming tips? Absolutely nothing could even come close. Just ask the kids.

This book is a very, very special book since it is able to communicate several important ideas with the readers. A second such idea is that little things can make a big difference. In the story, a little boy is nice enough to give one of his cookies to a passing mouse. After the mouse began to eat the cookie, it realized that it was thirsty, so he asked the boy for a glass of milk. Instead of ignoring the mouse, the boy gave him a glass of milk, complete with a straw. Again and again the boy does whatever the mouse asks him to do, even make him a bed out of a powder box and bandanna. By never refusing to do what the mouse asked of him, the boy set a good example for young readers to follow. Additionally, these small acts of hospitality ended up forming a great friendship between the book’s two only characters.

Arguably the best thing that this book taught me was the big “if” word and concept in a way that a preschooler can understand. Without even realizing what I was learning, I was taught the theory of how one action triggers another series of events. For example, after the mouse looks in the mirror to check for a milk moustache, “he’ll start sweeping. He might get carried away and sweep every room in the house. He may even end up washing the floors as well!” This subtle mechanism (which is probably either some type of propaganda or subliminal messaging) seemed to work, and the “if” concept has been pretty clear to me ever since.

Additionally, this book is a perfect cycle. It begins with the mouse asking for a cookie and a glass of milk, and ends with him having a glass of milk and asking for a cookie.

Overall, the tiny pieces of wisdom shared with my young mind all those years ago when I first read this book have stayed engraved in my mind as a way to live life to the fullest, or, at least be able to enjoy a cookie the proper way, with a glass of milk.