Mouse's tiny little house becomes the scene of a very large birthday party, when Cat, Dog, Horse, Cow, and Farmer arrive for the celebration, and suddenly Mouse needs a new house, in a whimsical cumulative rhyme. Jr Lib Guild. It's Mouse's birthday, and--one by one--his friends (cat, dog, cow, horse, farmer) squeeze into the tiny, well-appointed straw house where Mouse lives in a quiet corner of the barn. Miraculously, they all fit; but when Mouse blows out his single birthday candle, the house flies apart like the one-hoss shay, leaving Mouse and the others in his ``new house''--the capacious hayloft, where there's room for everyone. Told in simple, repetitive verse, a funny story that'll be a good choice for very young groups. The humorous, large figures of Mouse's friends dominate Degen's brightly colored illustrations in amusing contrast to the appealing little Mouse. (Picture book. 2-6) -- Copyright ©1993, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.