Breaking news: Winter is not reading the calendar! It keeps
on snowing across the upper swath of our country and is not the least bit
apologetic about dropping cold temperatures across the south.
Enter Lucy who loves snow and ice. If only her friends would
join her.
MICE SKATING by Annie Silvestro, illustrated by Teagan
White, Sterling Children’s Books, 2017
Lucy is a mouse. And so, of course, her friends are mice. Like any self-respecting and traditional mouse, each one has burrowed in to spend the cheerless days of winter below ground, snoozing, perhaps, or maybe reading books about humans while I am reading a book about them.
Lucy is a mouse. And so, of course, her friends are mice. Like any self-respecting and traditional mouse, each one has burrowed in to spend the cheerless days of winter below ground, snoozing, perhaps, or maybe reading books about humans while I am reading a book about them.
Not Lucy. She dons her fluffy wool cap with a pink pom-pom
on top and goes adventuring. She catches snowflakes on her tongue, makes mice
angels in the snow, and misses her friends. Her attempts to bring snow fun into
her friends’ cozy napping spaces fail. Snow cones? They aren’t cheese. An indoor snow fight? A
soggy mess.
Then Lucy figures out how to skate.
Adding to the reader’s enjoyment, the author sprinkles wordplays
on cheese throughout the sprightly text. Art shimmers. Winter re-gains its
first snow of the season excitement.
Thank you, Lucy.
ABOUT THE CREATORS:
Teagan White, whose art brings Lucy and her field mouse
friends to life, has illustrated greeting cards and textiles as well as
children’s books and received a BFA in illustration from the Minneapolis
College of Art & Design.
Author Annie Silvestro is the author of
Bunny’s Book Club (Doubleday), another Bunny book coming out this summer, and The Christmas Tree Who Loved Trains
(HarperCollins, September 2018).
After considering opening a children’s book store, Silvestro
decided to create books instead, beginning her writing career with
determination in 2009. She joined the Society of Children’s
Book Writers and Illustrators and “kept working and
learning.”
Author Silvestro shares this journey with young authors in
schools – a part of being a children’s author that she discovered she
loves. “It (author visits) was something
I was nervous about doing at first, but now I’ve found it to be the very best
part of my job. Engaging with children about books and reading is such a gift.”
Silvestro says she loves to tell young readers “how
important it is to keep reading! You have to be a good reader to be a good
writer. I also like to tell them to persevere and that it’s ok to make
mistakes.”
Returning to Lucy, readers will see that Lucy perseveres,
makes mistakes, and yes! succeeds. Set out the snacks of cheese and crackers.
While younger readers enjoy turning pages, older readers will be chuckling over
the wordplay. And a few more days of winter will be OK.
