Curled Up Mouse for the Year of the Rat

A single mouse curls into a big oval shape, with its long tail sweeping around the left side and bottom of the page. The tail is decorated with a row of small leaf-shaped outlines. The mouse's head sits at the upper right with a large round ear, a small pointed ear, a dark eye and a pointed nose. Five plum-style blossoms with scalloped petals and starburst centers are scattered around, two near the back and three clustered at the bottom. In the open middle, the words HAPPY NEW YEAR appear in bold capital letters, with the Chinese greeting 新年快乐 underneath. The shapes are big and the lines are clean, so it works well for a range of ages. Try filling the tail's little leaf shapes with alternating colors to practice pattern work, then talk about how the Chinese words are read as a new year greeting.