A Nest for Celeste: A Story About Art, Inspiration, and the Meaning of Home

A fanciful history lesson for middle graders, featuring a charming mouse named Celeste.

Celeste is a mouse who is looking for a home. Is it nestled in the toe of a warm boot? In the shirt pocket of Celeste’s new friend Joseph? Or is home the place deep inside Celeste’s heart, where friendships live?

Beautifully illustrated with hundreds of black-and-white drawings, A Nest for Celeste is a short novel that tells the story a mouse living in the 1800s and his friendship with John James Audubon’s young apprentice. While enjoying this sweet amd appealing story, young readers will also learn about nineteenth-century plantation life and the famous naturalist who was known for his paintings of birds and American wildlife.

A beautifully illustrated novel about a mouse, her friendship with Audubon's apprentice, and her search for home.

Beneath the crackled and faded painting of a horse, underneath the worn and dusty floorboards of the dining room, lives Celeste, a mouse who spends her days weaving baskets, until one day she is thrust into the world above. Here Celeste encounters danger—and love—unlike any she's ever imagined. She dodges a hungry cat and witnesses the brutality of hunting for the first time. She makes friends with a singing thrush named Cornelius, a talkative osprey named Lafayette, and Joseph, Audubon's young apprentice. All the while, Celeste is looking for a new home. Is her home in the toe of a worn boot? Nestled in Joseph's pocket? Or in the dollhouse in the attic, complete with mouse-size furniture perfect for Celeste? In the end, Celeste discovers that home is really the place deep inside her heart, where friendships live.

“With a twist of a pencil nub and a turn of a phrase, Henry Cole brings Audubon to life on the page; the story of tender Celeste will charm the naturalist and fantasist alike.” - Gregory Maguire, author of Wicked and Matchless

“I have long been an admirer of Henry Cole’s contribution to children’s literature. With this first novel, he weaves a tale that, in addition to his delightful illustrations, has all the best ingredients—a sense of history, time-honored themes, and just the right amount of imagination.” - Julie Andrews, author of Mandy, The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles, and Little Bo

“A rare gift: a novel with artwork as whole and vital as a picture book’s.” - Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“The softly shaded pencil drawings bring the story to life through Cole’s exceptional ability to imbue animals with personality.” - ALA Booklist

“Evocative illustrations, compelling characters, and thoughtful reflections on the nature of home combine to powerful effect.” - Publishers Weekly (starred review)