If You Give a Mouse a Cookie

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZD8L5alZ-e8
<:AtomicElement>
Above is a link that will take you to a you tube clip of someone reading If You Give a Mouse a Cookie. If you have never read this story before, I suggest you do. As a child this was one of my favorite stories. I used to read it all the time. It was one of the first books I read on my own. Re-reading the book I noticed that the mouse is a very selfish mouse. He was never satisfied. First, he wanted a cookie and that seem harmless because who doesn't want a cookie? After he gets the cookie he then demands milk, a straw to drink the milk with, a napkin to wipe his face with, and then a mirror to check if he has a milk moustache. When he looks in the mirror he notices he needs a haircut, which requires scissors. Then he needs a broom to clean up the hair, and he continues sweeping until he has swept the entire house. Sweeping the floors makes the mouse want to wash the floors. The excess amount of the cleaning tires the mouse out so he needs a bed to sleep in with pillows and blankets, and he requires a story be read to him. Having the story read to him is not enough though, he must see all of the pictures. The pictures excite the mouse and make him want to draw his own pictures, which means he needs paper and colors. After drawing the picture the mouse needs a pen to sign it with and scotch tape to put it on the refrigerator. After hanging his picture the mouse takes a step back and admires his artwork hanging on the fridge. Looking at the fridge makes the mouse thirsty, so he asks for a glass of milk. The story is a vicious circle, the mouse starts off wanting a cookie and ends up wanting milk, which leads the reader to believe he will then want a cookie to go with the milk. The mouse is a great representation of people in general. It is human nature to always want more. Nothing is ever enough because there is so much to be had. If you are living in poverty wanting more may just mean you want an extra piece of bread at dinner. Being rich may mean that every year you must upgrade your car to have the top of the line vehicle. Whatever the circumstances may be, people are never satisfied with what they have, and they always long for more.