With all due appreciation and acknowledgement of author, Laura Joffe Numeroff, and Harper & Row Publishers.

If you give a mouse a cookie…he’s going to ask for a glass of milk.

When you give him the milk..he’ll probably ask for a straw.

When he’s finished…he’ll ask for a napkin.

and so on…

If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Joffe Numeroff is the standard book used to teach children cause and effect. It’s delightful for preschoolers because of the easy words and cute pictures. In early elementary, it’s great for encouraging kids to recognize how any one action can lead to another. For example, IF you don’t stand quietly in line, THEN we can’t walk out in the hall to lunch or recess.

As kids become writers, cause and effect is one type of writing they have to accomplish, and this is a example of the thought process they’re supposed to follow. You know, IF you want to be good at something, THEN you have to practice.

We have “If/Then” statements in philosophy. We have “If/Then” statements in Geometry. We have “If/Then” statements in computer programmming. We have side effects listed on medications.

Why isn’t it the most fundamental lesson of education at every level that all actions have consequences? Why is a lesson taught so well in a chldren’s book with half a sentence and simple illustrations on each page, forgotten so completely when people grow-up?

IF we throw trash in the water, THEN it won’t be good to drink.

IF you buy an old house without an inspection, THEN you won’t know if there’s going to a termite or water problem.

IF call your boss a monster, THEN he’s going to look for a new employee.

IF your job is sucking the life out of you, THEN you need to ask for a change, look for a new job, or accept what’s going to happen if you stay.

IF you tell me that you like the color of my hair, or that my blue eyes sparkle when I talk about my grandchildren, THEN I’m going to tell you that I’d let my hair go white if it’d be a beautiful as yours, or that I’ve always admired how your brown eyes are so warm.

IF you tell me that you wish you were as good a cook as I am, THEN I’m going to tell you how I wish I was a good a cleaner as you are.

But…

IF you tell me that I’m fat, THEN I am going to avoid being with you. I am NOT going to say, “Wow! You’re right. Thanks for telling me. I’m going to change my eating habits forever.”

IF you tell me my ideas are stupid because they are not the same as yours, THEN I am going to stop talking to you. I’m NOT going to think, “Wow! You’re right. You’re so much smarter than me, and I’m going to let you tell me every thing to do from now on.”

Instead, how about…

IF you treat people the way you want to be treated, THEN the world will be a better place.

This book needs to be required reading every year of high school and every year of college. There should be a box on our Income Tax forms “Have you read If You Give a Mouse a Cookie this year?” And you shouldn’t get your refund unless you can answer “Yes.”