Midwinter's Eve: The Secret Staircase (Brambley Hedge) by Jill Barklem

Everything was sparkling in the frosty winter sunshine, and greetings of "Merry Midwinter," rang out among those who were dragging greenery--holly and chains of ivy and mistletoe--toward the Old Oak Palace.

LORD WOODMOUSE AND PRIMROSE, HIS DAUGHTER, OPENED THE DOOR.

"ARE YOU TWO READY FOR TONIGHT?" LORD WOODMOUSE ASKED PRIMROSE AND WILFRED.

A GRAND ENTERTAINMENT WAS PLANNED AND PRIMROSE AND WILFRED HAD CHOSEN TO GIVE A RECITATION.

Many of the mice of Brambly Hedge were inside the Palace, decorating and preparing the feast for the festival of Midwinter. But Primrose was not sure they had completely memorized their parts, and Wilfred's costume was barely in the planning stage. Lady Woodmouse, busy making carraway biscuits in the kitchen, gave them a snack basket of bread and cheese and shooed them up to the attic to look for outfits and practice their lines.

With good intentions, the two youngsters scamper up the stone steps to the attic area, where there are so many amazing things to investigate that they decide to explore first, especially when through a keyhole, Wilfred spies another enticing flight of stairs.

"IF THERE'S A KEYHOLE, THERE MUST BE A KEY!" SAID PRIMROSE.

The key searched out, the two climb to the attic of Old Oak Palace, where they find a child's bedchamber and a chest filled with wonderful jeweled clothing, perfect for their part in the program. Outside through a lavish golden-grilled window, they see that the lowering sun is growing red, and they begin to practice their lines in earnest.

WHEN THE DAYS ARE THE SHORTEST, THE NIGHTS ARE THE COLDEST,

THE FROST IS THE SHARPEST, THE YEAR IS THE OLDEST,

DRESS IN YOUR RICHEST AND FINEST AND BEST.

WINTER HAS BROUGHT YOU THE WORST IT CAN BRING,

AND NOW IT WILL GIVE YOU

THE PROMISE OF SPRING!

Humans have long felt the appeal of the ancient celebration of the turning of the year, the winter solstice, the nod to ancestral assemblages as old as known time, as in this book in Jill Barklem's celebrated Brambly Hedge series, The Secret Staircase (Brambly Hedge) (HarperCollins), in which two mischievous mouse friends find their roles in the mysteries and connections that link them to their ancestors and bind them together with their community.

This novel is filled with the attraction of young readers to tales of olden times, especially for those who may be drawn by the enchantment of books such as The Hobbit, and The Lord of the Rings series, and C. S. Lewis' Narnia books beginning with The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (The Chronicles of Narnia), The Beasts of Grimheart, from the Longburrow series), and of course the Harry Potter series, and the many books of hidden doors that lead to enchanting worlds just beyond.

This book about the ancient promise of springtime is offered in lovely prose, charming illustrations, and an intriguing setting for young readers just stepping into the great traditions of the English fantasy novels.

Time to Move On: Ship In A Bottle by Andrew Prahin

CAT AND MOUSE LIVED TOGETHER. BUT THERE WERE PROBLEMS.

Mouse wanted to lie in a warm sunbeam and she wanted to eat gingersnaps. Cat wanted only one thing--to eat Mouse. Their desires were at cross purposes. It was an impasse.

But Mouse has a plan. On a sunny windowsill he finds an ornamental ship-in-a-bottle, fills it with gingersnaps and crawls inside to wait. As he expected, Cat pounces at it with both paws.

TINK-TINK!

BLOOP!

The bottle falls off the windowsill and splashes into the river below. It's a bon voyage launch as Mouse enjoys the view and nibbles on a gingersnap, but not for long

It seems seagulls like gingershaps, too, and Mouse drops her cookie and is forced to squeeze into the safety of the bottle as they sail downriver toward a port on the banks of a meadow, where she makes friends with nice rabbit. But when she shares a gingersnap with him, she discovers that he has a large family who ALL like gingersnaps!

Mouse has to shove off from shore. His gingersnaps are gone. His stomach is rumbling, and so is the sky. A storm sets in and Mouse is forced to disassemble the ship's sail to make a stopper for the bottle, and when the wind and rain cease, Mouse has to remove the ship's rudder to use as a paddle to reach shore. He was tired and hungry, and this voyage had not been what he expected.

MOUSE WAS MET BY A CHIPMUNK. "I DON'T HAVE ANY MORE GINGERSNAPS," HE TELLS HIM.

Chipmunk goes away and returns with a bunch of berries, and everyone seemed friendly.

IN THE DAYS THAT FOLLOWED, MOUSE MET ALL SORTS OF NEW FRIENDS.

THERE WERE NO GINGERSNAPS, BUT MOUSE DISCOVERED FRENCH FRIES WHEN SOME NICE SEAGULLS INVITED HER TO DINNER.

Meanwhile the cat (remember the cat?) still waits mournfully on the same windowsill.

It's a case of "Changes in Latitude, Changes in Attitude" in Andrew Prahin's little parable of finding your place, Ship in a Bottle (G.P. Putnam's Sons, 2021).

This is a folkloric tale that suggests with gently humor that sometimes you just have to "go where the weather suits your clothes," and that even if the voyage may be rough, berries can be as sweet as gingersnaps in a place where you really belong.

Raves Kirkus Review, "Delightful, pastel-colored cartoon illustrations beguile, competently suggesting place, atmosphere, and emotional heft; their varied presentation in full spreads and softly outlined panels very ably drives the text. Time spent in this bottle is well spent."

Too Much of A Good Thing? The Bruce Swap by Ryan T. Higgins

There was a forest in front of the little cabin Bruce the curmudgeonly bear shared with three goslings and four mice.

Sure, it's the North Woods, so there are some evergreens around the lake, but Bruce's yard was mostly a forest of signs beginning with the word NO--NO TALKING, NO SWIMMING, NO FISHING, NO CAMPING, NO PICNICKING, NO TRESPASSING...! Bruce was no fun. The mice longed for adventures. The geese just wanted--sandwiches!

ONE MORNING THERE WAS A LETTER IN THE MAILBOX AT 13 GO AWAY LANE!

It was a letter from Bruce's fun-loving cousin Kevin, saying he's coming for a fun-filled vacation. But nobody knew that--because one of the goslings ate the letter. So on the day of fun-loving Kevin's arrival, nobody knew they were about to have guests! Bruce went fishing, leaving a note, but one of the goslings ate that, so nobody knew that either.

So when fun-loving Kevin arrived with outdoor equipment and a bag of sandwiches, the mice and geese thought he was Bruce. But not the party-pooping Bruce they knew. This was a different Bruce.

"ALL OUR WISHES HAVE COME TRUE!" SAID THISTLE.

"WAIT! THIS MUST BE BRUCE'S DOPPELGANGER!" SAID RUPERT.

"DINGLE POOPER?" ASKED NIBB.

But no matter! This version of Bruce was nothing but fun. He gave them all the candy they could eat and then inspired a candy battle. He pulled out a pogo stick and hopped all over the cabin. He ordered endless pizzas. Then he flooded the cabin to make an indoor swimming pool. His rowdy buddies showed up and finished wrecking the cabin, so the party moved outside. Dingle Pooper Bruce taped Rupert to a kite and sent him up for his first flight. The cabin and yard were a dreadful MESS! Since MESS is not fun, fun-loving Kevin and his chums piled into their van and left the premises.

SOME OF THE FUN WAS.... QUESTIONABLE.

"NO MORE FUN! NO, NO, NO! PLEASE!" THE GOSLINGS PLEADED.

THEY ALL WISHED FOR REGULAR BRUCE TO COME BACK!

There's such a thing as too much fun for the mice and goslings, who were actually glad to see the real party-pooper Bruce putt-putting back up the road on his motor skooter, in Ryan T. Higgins' latest in his Mother Bruce series, The Bruce Swap (Disney Press, 2021). (But at least there's plenty of pizza left over!)

Author-illustrator Higgins combines hilarious comic illustrations, oddball family affection, and one of children's literature's greatest grumpy bears in his Mother Bruce series, which began with Mother Bruce (Mother Bruce, Book 1) (Mother Bruce Series, 1)

"A gentle, silly picture book about balancing fun and responsibility," says Kirkus Reviews

Cat and Mouse! Brave As A Mouse by Nicolo' Corozzo

 

"WOULD YOU LIKE TO PLAY?" MOUSE ASKED GOLDFISH.

"YES!"

But all too soon three little cats appear and ask to join the game. (That doesn't seem like a good idea to Mouse!)

Mouse darts off, challenging the three cats to a game of chase.

"IT WAS A WILD IDEA. IT WAS A BOLD IDEA!"

Out of the parlor and into the bedroom she scampered, up the sheer curtains to the top of the window. Almost cornered, the little mouse leaps, dashes down the stairs and into the kitchen pantry!

BUT WAS IT A GOOD IDEA?

Yes! The cats are distracted by the bags of cat food there, And their tummies stuffed, they do what cats do best--catnap!

So Mouse has another idea. And with help from the others, they fill a teacup with water, goldfish jumps in, and all the mice help carry him out of the house, safe from the cats, and down to the pond in the park, where the goldfish finds a place safe from all cats!

IT WAS A WILD IDEA. IT WAS A GOOD IDEA!

And there's a happy ending for Goldfish, in Nicolo Corozzo's beautifully self-illustrated story of a lucky fish, who gets by with a little help from his friends, in Brave as a Mouse (Random House, 2020). Corozzo's noted artwork is both realistic and fanciful, done in muted colors and with delightful detail that fills the pages with lively action set before the charmingly homey interior backdrop of the old house. Says Horn Book, "“An entertaining game of cat and mouse. And one lucky fish.”

Be Quiet and Listen! It's So Quiet! A Not--Quite Going to Bed Book by Sherri Duskey Rinker

 

DOWN, DOWN, DOWN, THE SUN DROPS BELOW THE HILL.

THE FARM IS FALLING QUIET. EVERYTHING IS STILL.

When the sun disappears behind the trees around the little farmhouse, it's getting close to bedtime for a little mouse, but Grandpa and his old hound dog already have a headstart on the front porch, Grandpa dozing in his rocker and Hound Dog on his little rug. Inside Mama is trying to move her little Mouse toward bedtime. He has a complaint.

"IT'S TOO QUIET!"

But outside his bedroom the moths' wings slap with a soft SHAH SHAH against the outside light, and the crickets tune up their chirps. As the moon rises, the bullfrogs in the pond warm up their croaks. The barn owl on the chimney hoots a first soft WHOOOOO! The screen door adds to the symphony as the breeze begins to make the screen door squeak and chreak-chreeeaaak back and forth.

Grandpa's doze slips into sleep and he begins to snore loudly in his rocker. The dreaming dog's tail begins to slap the porch floor.

SNORT!

BLOOP! BLOOP! BLOOP!

TIP-TAP TIP-TAP

And then, from far, far away a coyote howls....

A-ROOOO!

Up goes the window. Mouse sticks his head out and yells...

"QUIET! I'M TRYING TO SLEEP!"

And finally Mama's words come back to him.

"HUSH! NOT A PEEP!

THE SWEET SOUNDS OF NIGHT WILL WHISPER YOU TO SLEEP."

And so they do at last, in Sherri Duskey Rinker's latest, It's So Quiet: A Not-Quite-Going-to-Bed Book (Chronicle Books, 2021). As in her first hit, Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site (Hardcover Books for Toddlers, Preschool Books for Kids) and the books that have followed, (see reviews here), wordsmith Rinker knows how to select words that make the text come alive.

Illustrator Tony Facile's soft palette and easy lines and Rinker's ready rhymes, rhythms, onomatopoeia, and alliteration give this soothing, not-quite bedtime story great appeal as a read aloud for one child or a group which will no doubt enjoy chiming in on all the natural night sounds and coming up with some of sounds that darkness brings to their own houses. This newest picture book is a winner for Rinker!

Beware of Predators Bearing Gifts! My Best Friend by Rob Hodgson

HI, THERE! I'M MOUSE AND I WANT TO TELL YOU ABOUT MY BEST FRIEND... GREAT OWL!

What a good friend Giant Owl is! He takes Mouse to live with him in his tree. And Great Owl loves to play with Mouse.

WE PLAY CHASE, AND SOMETIMES GREAT OWL NEARLY CATCHES ME.... BUT NOT QUITE.

And Great Owl loves to share his food with Mouse--all the donuts Mouse can eat and more! Such a generous friend!

Mouse has some questions, of course, about his best friend's sometimes strange behaviors. He won't let Mouse out of his sight, and Mouse never gets to enjoy a moment alone! And when Mouse tries to get a bit of space, Great Owl is a bit rough when he grabs him. It is annoying. But Great Owl shows Mouse how much he loves him when he gives him a trendy wire house that fits right over his head. How does Owl know that Mouse's favorite thing to do is have a sleepover--especially in his new portable house! ZZZZZZZZ!

But then.... Mouse awakes in a very dark place....

It's a strange turn in the plot, especially since Great Owl begins to feel some gastric distress! Glurk! Ooooch! Burble! ACCKKK!

At this point in the tale, youngsters will have figured out exactly where Mouse is and will cheer when Great Owl is forced to disgorge his, er, friend with an enormous BURP, in Rob Hodgson's tongue-in-cheek story of a devious and dubious friendship, My Best Friend (Francis Lincoln Childrens Books, 2020). This bit of dark humor is just right for savvy primary graders who know a bit about the role of predators in the food chain and will begin to giggle as the wily predator fattens up his prey and his true intentions become more and more obvious--while Mouse remains, well, in the dark! "A fresh page to the annals of obliviousness," quips Booklist.

Nice On Ice! Mice on Ice by Rebecca and Ed Emberley

There's snow on the ground and ice on the pond, and a troupe of young mice in colorful knitted winter garb and old-fashioned curved skates tramp to the skating area.

MICE ON ICE LOOK NICE.

The skillful mice slide and glide, swirl and twirl. They leave skate tracks behind on the once smooth ice. But then, one mouse looks down, and with a frown, notices the telltale pattern of a cat face in those ice traces. Yikes!

THAT IS A CAT!

No doubt of that! Should all the mice skat?

No dice, in Ed and Rebecca Emberley's exuberant picture book for emergent readers, Mice on Ice (I Like to Read) (Holiday House), in which the gallant mice share the ice with a skating cat. The cat in the funny hat turns out to be both benevolent and artistic and a good time is had by all. Daughter Rebecca Emberley adds an ebullient Kaleidoscope of colored-paper sculpture illustrations to her Caldecott-winning father Ed Emberley's controlled but poetic rhyming text, inviting the emergent reader to read this one solo.

All created by famous author-illustrators, other books in this top-notch series for early readers include Ethan Long's Pig Has a Plan (I Like to Read), I See a Cat (I Like to Read), by Paul Meisal, Little Ducks Go (I Like to Read), by Emily Arnold McCully, and Fix This Mess! (I Like to Read), by Tedd Arnold.

What's Up with Fall? Fall with Lily and Milo by Pauline Oud

The weather is changing. It's windy and perhaps threatening to rain, but Lily and Milo want to explore the changes in the woods. The first decision is what to take--a woven basket or a little wagon?

That's easy. Lily takes the basket and Milo pulls his cart.

Now what to wear? Raincoat or swimsuit? Rubber boots or flip-flops?

That's easy--it's beginning to rain!

Lily and Milo walk into the woods. Look! No more rain! Lily points out a spider web, and Milo spots the spider. They notice apples have fallen and get busy gathering them up. But Milo finds an odd-shaped fruit. What is THAT? A pear! What is THAT cute little critter? A hedgehog. And here's a snail with eyes on stalks. Lily says the hedgehog lives under a bush and the snail lives in the shell on his back. Milo want to take everything back home with him.

Lily sees red mushrooms with white spots. They are so pretty!

"We can't pick mushrooms," says Lily. "They have to stay in the woods."

Lily puts apples and pears in her basket, but Milo loads his wagon with fallen leaves and acorns. Milo doesn't notice that some of the creatures are sneaking a ride home along with the leaves. It's beginning to look like autumn, and some of it critters have come to Lily and Milo's house, too, in Pauline Oud's early autumn expedition party, Fall with Lily and Milo (Clavis, 2019). Oud's jolly, colorful blackline drawings make for a perfect backdrop for fun in the out-of-doors in early autumn, just right for toddlers and preschoolers who are ready to search for signs of fall! Says Kirkus Reviews, "Thick, durable pages make this perfect for multiple readings and page turnings for the youngest listeners."

After The Ball! Sootypaws: A Cinderella Story by Maggie Rudy

There once was a mouse, and her life was no fun. Her mother was eaten by a tabby cat and her father took a new rat wife with two daughters. Then he died leaving her alone with her stepmother and stepsisters.

The steprats made her do all the work. At night she curled up in the fireplace ashes to keep warm, and so they called her Sootypaws.

But Sootypaws was kind. She befriended Frog and his tadpoles, saved crumbs for the ants and fur from her comb to line the bluebird's nest.

Then an invitation came from the palace. The King desired his son the Prince to find a bride, and all the maidens of the land were invited. The lazy, selfish stepsisters order Sootypaws to wash and iron their frilliest, fanciest gowns, and go off chattering about becoming a princess. Sootypaws rested by the pond and wished she could go the ball.

"You will," said the frog. "There is a full moon and it is a very good night for wishes."

And the moon magic provides rose petals for a delicate dress. Bluebird provides her bluest feathers for a fluttery fan, the spiders spin their webs into lacy trim, the ants cut leaves to shape dainty shoes, and the butterflies spread their wings for a cloak. In an apple coach lit by firefly lamps and pulled by blue-bellied lizards, Sootypaws is off to the ball, looking every inch a princess.

"Be back by midnight--" warned the bluebird,"...when the magic wears off."

Of course the prince is enchanted. They dance and dine upon strawberry cream puffs and fall in love. Of course, Sootypaws is swept off her tired feet and forgets all about the curfew until the clock begins to strike the midnight peal. Leaping up, she loses her greenleaf shoes and is left, in her ashy apron, to trudge sadly home.

"DESPERATELY SEEKING DAMSEL!" her stepmother reads the next morning.

"The Prince will marry the lady whose foot fits the slipper."

And in true Cinderella tradition, the Prince finds his dainty-but sooty-footed Princess, greatly disappointing the big-footed Steprat sisters, and prepares to take her away to the palace. But in Maggie Rudy's brand-new version of the classic tale, Sootypaws: A Cinderella Story (Godwin Books/Henry Holt and Company, 2020), there's a modernist twist, in which Sootypaws, nee Rose, and the Prince decide to eschew uncomfortable shoes and palaces to be free to find adventures in the wilds, living "mousely ever after."

Gloriously illustrated by author-illustrator Maggie Rudy's charmingly constructed diorama scenes with handmade animal actors and naturally- sourced haute-couture costumes, this new reworking of Cinderella story will tickle kids' fancies, delight them with their engaging characters, and surprise them with the inventive ending.

"... full of gentle humor . . . . a refreshing adaptation." says School Library Journal.

Other handcrafted mouse tales by Maggie Rudy include City Mouse, Country Mouse and The House that Mouse Built.

Love's Labour Lost! Mirabel's Missing Valentines by Janet Lawler

Mirabel was very shy.
She'd always been that way.
She trembled at the thought of
giving valentines away.

Still, little mouse girl Mirabel hand-colors her modest little missives, cutting out red hearts and carefully printing good wishes on them. Stashing them carefully in her schoolbag, she spends a restless night worrying about approaching her classmates at school. She doesn't want to go, and she's moving rather slow. But at last she's on her way.

But unknown to Mirabel, there is a hole in her bag, and one by one her Valentines slip out and blow away in the brisk breeze.

But even unintended random acts of kindness have consequences. Each card finds someone who needs it. A lonely old woman whose mailbox is empty smiles at the heart-y card. A construction worker finds a red card with a kind sentiment. One finds its way into a baby buggy pushed by a dutiful dad. Even a garbage man, surrounded by the stinky smell, finds a card that wishes him well.

But then Mirabel discovers that her bag is empty:

"I've lost my Valentines!!" she cried aloud.

The card recipients have a moment of truth.

They hurried up to Mirabel.
"Your cards have made us smile.
Thanks for sharing them with us,
if only for a while."

Seeing how her Valentines have unintentionally brought happiness to their finders, Marabel gets it: Valentine's Day is not about her. It's all about giving. All's well that ends well, with Mirabel enjoying exchanging cards at school and returning home with more heart-filled cards than she gave away, in Janet Lawler's Mirabel's Missing Valentines (Sterling Books, 2019).

Adults forget what an angst-filled day at school Valentine's Day can be. Kids worry that they won't get any Valentines, or that they won't get one from a special person. And for the truly shy, even the act of giving Valentines is fraught with anxiety. But bashful Mirabel learns a little lesson about what giving--and receiving--means in a heart-warming rhyming story with an understated theme of what this overblown and sometimes silly holiday still says about the art of giving.

Back In Your Own Backyard : Aberdeen by Stacey Previn

ABERDEEN DIDN'T MEAN TO LEAVE THE YARD--BUT A BALLOON FLOATED BY, SO HE FOLLOWED IT.

"Stay in your own backyard!" Mama had said, and Aberdeen was doing just that until that big red balloon floated by, its long string trailing irresistibly behind it. Aberdeen follows after it, burrowing messily under the fence. He runs through the neighbor's flowers, the string just above his reach, until the balloon dips low. Aberdeen's tail gets tangled in the long string as he leaps for it.

ABERDEEN DIDN'T MEAN TO FLY AWAY.

At first it's exciting to float over the backyards, but Aberdeen begins to worry as he drifts beyond his neighborhood, over a field and then over the woods.

ABERDEEN DIDN'T MEAN TO POP THE BALLOON!

But his little mouse nails are sharp, and the balloon explodes, sending him down, down, into the weeds. Now he's all turned around. Aberdeen didn't mean to wander into the woods, away from home, until suddenly he realizes that he is lost in the darkening woods, where his mama always said there are owls!

ABERDEEN DIDN'T MEAN TO CRY!

One thing just leads to another, in Stacey Previn's Aberdeen (Viking, 2016), as the involuntary little runaway takes an unexpected excursion into the wilds. All ends well, with Mama's worried calls filtering through the twilight woods to where Aberdeen is sitting forlornly, and he's all too happy to explain earnestly that he didn't mean to make Mama worry.

"BUT YOU DID, SWEETIE!" MAMA SAID.

Aberdeen is rightfully repentant, but as Previn makes clear in her jolly, ebullient watercolor illustrations, his adventurous balloon voyage outside the world of fenced backyards is one he won't soon forget. As Publishers Weekly points out, "... sometimes, the offer of adventure is just too good to pass up."

A Diller, A Dollar, A Midnight Scholar: Mouse's First Night at Moonlight School by Simon Puttock

THE NIGHT BELL WAS ABOUT TO RING AT MISS MOON'S MOONLIGHT SCHOOL, AND BAT AND CAT AND OWL WERE ALL ON THEIR WAY.

BUT SOMEBODY WAS MISSING....

Mouse is, well, as timid as a mouse, but she's not tardy. She's already inside Miss Moon's schoolroom, but she's shy and already concealed behind a curtain. Miss Moon calls the roll and catches the whispered sound of Mouse's "Here!" from her hiding place.

Kindly but witchy Miss Moon comes up with a break-the-ice game to suit all her students--hide-and-seek. It's just right for bat, who can echo-locate anyone; it's calming for cat, who is curious about the darkest corners, and it's a natural for Owl, who wisely chooses to perch behind a book in the bookcase.

But where is Mouse?

"MOUSE IS REALLY GOOD AT HIDING!" SAID MISS MOON.

"OH, DEAR! MOUSE'S MOTHER WILL BE UPSET...."

"TEE HEE!" GIGGLED MOUSE.

Mouse emerges, a proud winner of the game, from inside Miss Moon's tall black hat, and her first day, er, night fears are gone, in Simon Puttock's Mouse's First Night at Moonlight School (Nosy Crow Books, 2015). Feeling nervous on the first day of school is a common problem, even for creatures of the night, and Puttock's gentle text has the right tone for those students who just wish they could just be invisible on opening day. Ali Pye's nocturnal palette of grays and deep blues, accented by the yellow glow of lanterns and the full moon give this story a late-night setting that is barely scary and mostly cozy for her nighttime scholars.