MOUSEBOAT

Illustrated by Abigail Halpin  

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Published by Viking Books for Children 

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Even when you're lost in a storm, you can find home again.

The wind is your voice. 

You whisper to me. 

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A young girl feels lost after the death of her mother. Dad tries his best to manage everything alone, but things just aren't the same. When they take a trip to their lake house, the girl longs to feel a connection to her mom, and so she takes out the small mouseboat that she and her mom built together. And somehow, in the wind and the rain, protected by the mouseboat, she finds her mother's love.
 
A lyrical, soothing story about new beginnings, even in the darkest times, Mouseboat is a powerful tribute to finding your way home again.

 

 

★ "With sensitivity and immediacy, this prescient picture book charts a cathartic journey through grief to hope."―Booklist, starred review

 

★ "Figurative language in first person pairs with abstract watercolor illustrations to make a breathtaking lyrical picture book that beautifully portrays Faye's sorrow and longing. . . . this book will remind grieving readers that loved ones are waiting for them with patience and understanding."―BCCB, starred review

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"With spare, heartfelt text, Theule invites readers into a narrating child’s deepest feelings . . . Halpin’s crisp mixed-media art depicts a lush green woodland and brilliant blue water that shimmers, roils, laps, and crashes in dramatic scenes that mimic the child’s emotional journey." —PW
 

"A good book to help children cope with loss and to help them discover fresh starts even during the most challenging times." —The Horn Book

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