Our family often chooses old black and white classic movies when we watch television so I was thrilled to read a book that feels like watching an old movie.
DOUGLAS
By Randy Cecil – author and illustrator
Candlewick Press: 2019
Early Chapter Book for ages 5-8
Setting: the city of Bloomville
Themes – Friendship and Adventure
ACT I
1
On a Saturday afternoon in Bloomville,
Iris Espinosa put on her sister’s blue sweater
and stepped out the front door.
A familiar buttery scent wafted through the air.
Popcorn.
Written in four acts, DOUGLAS tells the tale of a girl named Iris who goes to the cinema and returns with a little mouse who has fallen asleep in the pocket of her sweater. She names the mouse Douglas (even though she’s a female) after Douglas Fairbanks. The little mouse finds herself on the move swinging from curtains, leaping across rooftops, escaping a six toed cat and a woman with a broom, and meeting a lonely boy who wants a pet. The story comes full circle in the final act with a warm and satisfying ending.
The circular illustrations are rendered in soft black and white making the book feel like an old swashbuckling vintage film.
DOUGLAS is a charmer in many ways. There are details on each page which add richness to the story for children as they increase their reading skills. It is 120 pages and doesn’t look like a typical early chapter book which will increase its appeal to readers who are a bit older but are still working on developing reading fluency. I predict that DOUGLAS will become a classic for young readers.
You can learn more about DOUGLAS by going to Randy Cecil’s website.
Join the Discussion!