This super-charming read-aloud has me wanting to read more of this author’s work:
A Nest for Celeste
by Henry Cole
HarperCollins
ISBN: 978 0 061 70410 9
Audience: ages 4-10
This small but thick book would be an easy one to pass by, with its quiet cover and unusual format. I left it on my shelf for a while myself, in fact. But this week, browsing for my next read, I picked it up, opened it, and fell in to a wonderful little tale that I can’t wait to share with Girl 6 as a bedtime read-aloud, as I am sure she will love it.
Celeste is a mouse who lives in a house with a cat, a dog, and some unusual guests. At the outset, she is mostly concerned with finding food, escaping the rat who bullies her, and making little baskets. Soon, though, life becomes more perilous, and as she discovers another part of the house, and with it, more about the humans – including Mr. Audubon, the painter, and his assistant, who turns out to be a gentle young man. She also meets several other animals, and along the way, on her adventures, she learns about good and bad, friendship, and home.
It’s a sweet book, and gentle, though it does have some horrible moments in how animals are treated and even killed for the sake of paintings. My only quibbles with it are with aspects that were not followed through as much as I would have liked, but otherwise, it’s really quite a charmer not only in writing, but also in the illustrations that form an important part of the reading experience. Cole’s characters are deftly drawn and balance a dose of cute with a fair bit of realism really nicely. Take a look at Celeste, for example:
Can’t help but love that!
Also available as an ebook.