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Space Mice!

April 6, 2020 By Claire Annette Noland 1 Comment

What child hasn’t heard that the moon is made out of cheese? Today’s book takes this fun idea and spins a tale about two resourceful cheese lovers.

SPACE MICE

By Lori Haskins Houran (author) and Priscilla Alpaugh
Albert Whitman 2020
Picture book for ages 4-7
Themes: space travel, resourcefulness, mice
Setting: the moon

The story begins…

Two hungry mice.
Rumble. Rumble.

Not enough cheese.
Grumble. Grumble.

When these hungry mice look at the moon, they know they must find a way to get there. These aren’t just any mice – they are talented and creative mice. They draw plans, get supplies from the hardware store, and build a rocket. Finally, after filling their tummies, they return to earth bringing a supply of cheese with them. A child astronomer is surprised to see just a sliver of moon in the sky that night.

Why you should add SPACE MICE to your book collection:

  • The jaunty text captures the mice’s adventures in concise rhyme that is meant to be read aloud.
  • The process of planning and executing a space journey is fun and informative.
  • Rockets!
  • The expressions on the faces of the mice show a range of emotions with a great humor.

Illustrator Priscilla Alpaugh was kind enough to share some of her thoughts on creating the art for SPACE MICE. She has been an artist all of her life but didn’t become a full-time illustrator until 2015. She says that it was a blast creating the two clever mice and figuring out what their rocket ship would look like. The art was created both traditionally and digitally. Pencil line with watercolor was scanned into the computer and then drawn and painted digitally from there. The art took six months to complete.

(cover art process)

It turned out that both Pricilla and author Lori Haskins Houran live in Massachusetts. They were able to meet and decided to do book signings and events together. Unfortunately, because of the current covid-19 situation, their book launch was cancelled. Since then, they have created a video of Lori reading and Priscilla showing her art.

Priscilla lives in the Boston area. She works out of her studio at ArtSpace Maynard. She and her husband David have two grown children, Tim and Addie. They are also the proud caretakers of @phoebethe tripod. Phoebe is a tripod and Priscilla’s ideal studio mate.

Priscilla is the co-coordinator of the NESCBWI Greater Group. She loves to present to kids and adults. She belongs to a virtual critique group that helps her to create the best artwork that she’s capable of. She strongly believes that none of us can do this work alone and that critique groups are crucial. Priscilla is a member of the 2020 Debut Crew.

SPACE MICE can be found at all independent and major retailers. She encourages everyone to support their local independent bookstore by search them on indie bound.

To find out more about Priscilla visit:

http://PriscillaAlpaugh.com
Twitter – @scillabert
Instagram – @PriscillaAlapaugh

 

Learn more about Lori at:

http://www.lorihaskinshouran.com/
Instagram: @lorihaskinshouran

And, for a fascinating history of why people think the moon is made out of cheese click here.

Filed Under: 2020 Debut Crew, Books, picture books Tagged With: Lori Haskins Houran author, Priscilla Alpaugh illustrator, SPACE MICE

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Tina Cho says

    April 6, 2020 at 12:28 pm

    What a darling book! I like the bouncy rhymes. Thanks for sharing.

    Reply

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Hello. I’m Claire Annette - reader, writer, teacher, and field trip planner extraordinaire. Here at A Field Trip Life you will find ideas for adventures large and small and the kids’ books that inspire them. Sign your permission slip. Let's go!

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I continue to read Amanda Gorman's Inauguration Da I continue to read Amanda Gorman's Inauguration Day poem "The Hill We Climb."
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Today's journal prompt was Where were you a year ago?
Thanks to my phone camera, I could easily take a look. And there were the faces of Christina, Thomas and Evelyn on January 18, 2020 as I was leaving Nicaragua. Little did I know that there would be a pandemic and the flights were stopped. Somehow, things fell into place and I was able to return with Roxanne on January 18, 2021. We recreated the original photo (on the right). I'm so excited about what’s ahead! You can still sign up - look at the bio in @tinytriumphco or @21daydiscoveryourwhy
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After raising two boys and teaching for over twenty years in a public school, I’ve witnessed the natural wonder that children have about the living world. Their voracious curiosity to understand the mysteries of our planet  is in everything they do!  Does it float? Does it fly? Does bend or break?  Children are curiosity in motion! I’ve come to believe this wonder about the world is the first step on the pathway to living sustainably on our beautiful planet. How ? By being curious and learning from the living world. 

Well...innate curiosity is something I wanted to explore. So...
I asked each inventor in my book what sparked their curiosity about nature? Well...after years of research, lots of interviews, and loads of classroom projects, MIMIC MAKERS was born. This picture book is a look at ten inventors from around the world, who began asking questions and investigating nature to create amazing biomimicry inventions that help us all. I hope it inspires a new generation of mimic makers. 

My thanks to my incredible editor, Alyssa Mito Pusey and the entire staff at Charlesbridge. Huge thanks to Paul Boston for your superb illustrations. Many thanks to Gretchen Hooker and Sherry Ritter of the Biomimicry Institute. 

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